COTTON  MILL, 

COMMERCIAL  FEATURES. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  TEXTILE  SCHOOLS  AND  INVESTORS. 


With    Tables 

SHOWING   COST  OF   MACHINERY  AND    EQUIPMENTS  FOR  MILLS  MAKING 
COTTON  YARNS  AND  PLAIN  COTTON  CLOTHS. 


By  D,  A.  TOMPKINS. 


CHARLOTTE,  N.  C. 

Published  by  the  Author. 

i8qq. 


Copyright  1899 

BY 

D.  A.  Tompkins. 


Presses  Observer  Printir.g  House, 
Charlotte,  N.  C. 


To  THE  Memory  of  my  Father, 
DR.  D.  C.  TOMPKINS, 

THIS   VOLUME   IS   AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

NCSU  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/cottonmillcommerOOtomp 


IPrcface. 


Before  the  institution  of  slavery  became  fixed  as  the 
leading  feature  of  the  labor  system  in  the  cotton  growing 
area  of  the  United  States,  the  manufacturing  interests  in 
this  area  prospered  more  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
country.  As  the  production  of  cotton  with  slave  labor 
was  found  to  be  more  profitable  and  attractive,  the  insti- 
tution of  slavery  grew  in  magnitude  and  importance,  while 
manufacturing  interests  were  neglected  and  allowed  to 
languish. 

The  abolition  of  slavery,  as  a  result  of  the  Civil  War, 
completely  upset  the  system  of  labor  previously  in  vogue. 
The  former  condition  had  become  a  semi-feudal  one,  with 
such  modifications  as  modern  civilization  made  necessary. 

The  aboHtionists  went  far  past  the  point  of  reasonable 
good  judgment.  The  slaves  were  all  Africans,  or  of  Afri- 
can descent.  Some  of  the  most  recently  imported  ones 
v/ere  trained  from  a  savage  condition,  and  all  of  them 
were  without  education  or  training,  except  for  work  on  a 
plantation.  These  were  at  once  given  the  right  of  suf- 
frage and  full  rights  of  citizenship,  on  terms  of  equality 
with  their  former  owners.  This  brought  about  a  condi- 
tion of  semi-anarchy,  in  which  the  energy  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  element  was  sorely  taxed  to  maintain  their  social 
supremacy  and  civilizing  influence.  Nothing  prospered 
during  the  quarter  of  a  century  through  which  this  lasted. 
Promptly,  however,  upon  the  restoration  of  stable  gov- 
ernment, a  revival  of  manufactures  commenced,  which  has 
grown  steadily,  and  is  still  growing. 

In  my  work  as  engineer,  I  have  had  so  many  inquiries 
from  people,  living  in  the  cotton  growing  area,  for  "full  in- 
formation about  the  cotton  manufacturing  business,"  that 
I  have  prepared  this  book  to  supply,  to  some  fair  extent, 
the  data,  and  such  discussion  of  the  same  as,  I  hope,  will 
give  a  good  general  idea  of  the  subject. 

D.  A.  TOMPKINS. 

Charlotte,  N.  C,  October  15,  1899. 


Contente. 

CHAPTER  I. 

COTTON  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  PROGRESS.— 

The  Cotton  Gin.  Old  Gin  House.  Improved  Gin 
House.  Increase  in  Cotton  Planting.  Value  of 
seed. 

CHAPTER  II. 

VALUES  IN  COTTON.— 

Cotton  Monopoly.  Foreign  Crops.  How  to  In- 
crease Profits  in  Cotton  Growing.  Prosperity  of 
Manufacturing  Communities.     Overproduction. 

CHAPTER  III. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY.— 

Subscription  List.     By-Laws.     Salaries. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

LOCATION  AND  SURROUNDINGS.— 
Water  Supply.     Raw  Material.     Labor. 

CHAPTER  V. 

RAISING  CAPITAL.— 

The  Installment  Plan.     By-Laws.     Foreign  Capital. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

INVESTMENTS,  COSTS,  PROFITS.— 

First  Cost  of  Various  Size  Mills.  Cost  of  Operation. 
Output.  Labor  Required.  Cotton  Consumed.  Pro- 
fits. Tables  Showing  Result  of  Operations  on  Dif- 
ferent Kinds  of  Goods. 


Vll 

CHAPTER  VII. 

BOOK-KEEPING  AND  ACCOUNTING.— 

Mill  Book-Keeping  Compared  with  Mercantile 
Book-Keeping.  Two  Different  Series  of  Books. 
Grouping  of  Accounts.  Mill  Reports.  Monthly 
Financial  Statements.  Annual  Statements.  De- 
preciation.    Surplus.     Blank   Forms. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
LABOR.— 

Vrhite  and  Colored  Operatives.  Labor  Laws. 
Church  and  School. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

OPERATIVES  HOMES.— 

New  Designs.     Specifications  for  Modern  Cottages. 

CHAPTER  X. 
POWER.— 

Relative  Cost  of  Steam  and  Water  Power.  Water 
required.  Fuel  required.  Wood  Compared  with 
Coal.     Electric  Transmission  of  Power. 

CHAPTER  XL 
SALE  OF  PRODUCTS.— 

Commission  Houses.  Commissions  Discounts. 
Reclamations.     Freight  Charges.     Blank  Forms. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
TEXTILE  EDUCATION.— 

Foreign  Methods.  Technical  Education  in  Other 
Lines.     Courses  of  Study. 


Vlll 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES.— 

Good  Roads  Follow  Mill  Building.  How  to  Build 
Roads.  Relation  of  Vehicle  to  Road.  Roads  in  Meck- 
lenburg County,  N.  C.  Convict  Labor.  Cost  of 
Road  Building.  Cost  of  Repairs.  Government 
Tests. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

MISCELLANEOUS.— 

Insurance  and  Fire  Protection.  Standard  Equip- 
ments. Mill  Construction.  Warehouses.  Light- 
ing. Heating.  Plumbing.  Humidifying.  Size 
of  Buildings.  Horse  Power  Required.  Profits. 
Mill  Management. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

FARM  AND  FACTORY.— 

Cotton  Manufacturing  as  an  Aid  to  Agriculture. 
Markets  .Made  for  Farm  Produce  by  Factory  Opera- 
tives. Food  Crops  Made  Saleable.  Cotton  a  Sur- 
plus Crop. 

CHAPTER  XVL 
BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES.— 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
STATISTICAL  TABLES  AND  NOTES.— 

APPENDIX. 

ESSAYS  ON  DOMESTIC  INDUSTRY.— 

Written  in  1845,  b\  William  Gregg,  of  South  Caro- 
lina 


CHAPTER  I. 

Cotton  as  a  jfactor  in  iprogrese* 

The  development  of  the  production  of  cotton  in  the 
Southern  States  within  a  single  century,  from  insignifi- 
cant proportions  to  11,000,000  bales  a  year,  considered  in 
all  its  relations  to  our  industrial  progress,  is  without  a 
parallel  in  history.  First  of  all,  it  is  a  suf^cient  answer  to 
the  charge  so  often  made  against  the  South  that  its  peo- 
ple are  without  enterprise  or  mechanical  ingenuity.  It 
may  n^t  oe  going  too  far  to  assert  that  everything  the 
northern  part  of  the  Union  has  accompHshed,  put 
together,  has  not  af¥ect^ed  the  welfare  of  so  many  people 
in  the  world  or  reached  so  far  in  its  effects  as  the  develop- 
ment of  ihis  industry  in    the  South. 

It  may  be  answered.  "The  South  is  the  only  section 
of  this  country  adapted  to  the  production  of  cotton;  if  iv 
would  grow  as  well  in  the  North,  a  different  showing 
might  have  been  made  by  that  section."  But  cotton 
grows  in  India,  in  Egypt,  in  China,  and  in  South  America. 
Therefore  it  may  be  truly  said  that  a  people  cannot  be 
without  enterprise,  who,  in  competition  with  such  a  wide- 
spread cotton  area, — in  many  parts  of  which  the  plant 
has  been  cultivated  for  several  centuries — in  less  than  one 
hundred  years,  are  able  to  show  a  production  far  exceed- 
ing that  of  all  the  rest  of  the  world. 

In  iSro,  the  cotton  crop  of  the  United  States  amoun- 
ted to  about  400,000  bales;  in  1892,  the  yield  reached 
nearly  9,000,000  bales.  During  the  greater  part  of  this 
interval  of  ^2.  years,  the  price  has  ranged  from  ten  to 
twelve  cents  per  pound.  But  sometimes  the  price  has 
been  as  low  as  five  cents,  and  as  high  as  twenty-seven 
cents,  leaving  out  of  account  the  years  of  the  war  (i860  to 
1864.)  when  the  South  practically  ceased  cotton  produc- 
tion. Estimating  500  pounds  to  the  bale,  and  the  price 
at  ten  cents  per  pound,  the  crop  of  1820  was  worth,  in 
round  numbers,  $20,000,000.       On  the  same    basis,    the 


2  COTTON  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  PROGRESS. 

crop  of  1892  was  worth  $450,000,000.  This  great  increase 
in  cotton  production  has  been  made  in  a  section  to  which 
there  has  been  no  such  constant  tide  of  immigration  as 
has  been  experienced  by  other  parts  of  the  United  States, 
and,  for  this  reason  alone,  the  result  reflects  great  credit 
upon  the  native  population  which  has  accomplished  it. 

This  wonderful  achievement  is  the  result  of  three  thinj4S 
combined,  namely:  ([)  the  enterprise  and  energy  of  the 
people;  (2)  the  invention  of  the  cotton-gin;  and  (3)  the 
designing;  of  buildings  and  mechanical  appliances  by 
which  the  gin  may  be  economically  operated. 

The  Cotton  Gin. 

It  seems  to  be  the  generally  accepted  opinion  that  the 
successful  production  of  large  cotton  crops  in  the  United 
States  is  due  to  the  invention  of  the  gin  alone.  While 
this  has  been  an  essential  element  in  the  problem,  yet 
Egypt,  India,  and  South  America,  which  also  have  the 
advantages  of  perfected  gins,  due  to  the  inventions  made 
in  America,  produce  cotton  neither  so  cheaply  nor  in  such 
large  quantities  as  it  is  produced  in  the  Southern  States. 

A  maciiine  having  been  invented  that  would  separate 
the  lint  from  the  seed,  there  was  need  at  once  for  a  suita- 
ble house  in  which  to  operate  it,  and  som.e  power  to  drive 
it.  Mule-power  was  the  most  available,  and  wood  was 
the  moLt  suitable  material,  both  for  the  building  and  for 
the  machinery  to  be  employed  in  utiHzing  the  power. 
Therefore,  a  series  of  v/ooden  wheels,  gears,  and  levers 
were  devised  by  someone  whose  name  is  now  lost.  The 
house  was  built  on  posts  in  such  a  way  that  the  machinery 
could  be  operated  by  mules  underneath  it.  Considering 
the  limited  facilities  ai  hand,  this  running-gear  for  the 
utilizution  of  mule-power  exhibited  marked  mechanical 
ingenuity  and  adaptability,  the  lack  of  which,  in  other 
countries,  prevented  such  results  in  the  production  of  cot- 
ton as  were  attained  here  in  ante-bellum  days. 

When  the  gin,  the  gin-house  with  its  appliances,  and 
the  baling-screw  had  all  been  developed  to  a  condition  of 
practical  success,  the  production  of  cotton  then  became 
very  profitable.       The  desire  to  embark  in  the  business 


Fig.  I.     Diagram  of  Cotton  Gin,  with  Feeder  and  Condenser. 


4  COTTON  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  PROGRESS. 

made  a  demand  for  labor  and  increased  the  price  of  slaves. 
The  s'.avcs  in  the  Northern  States  were  purchased,  and 
still  more  were  needed,  which  demand  was  partly  supplied 
by  the  African  slave  irade,  the  ships  of  England  and  New 
England  doing  the  carrying  business. 

Slavery  existed  in  New  England  about  one  hundred 
years  before  it  was  widespread  in  the  South.  Up  to  the 
time  when  the  inventions  just  described  gave  such  a  stim- 
ulus to  cotton  planting,  general  manufactures  had  pros- 
pered more  in  the  South  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
Union.  As  late  as  iSio,  according  to  the  United  States 
census  for  that  year,  the  manufactured  products  of  Vir- 
ginia, the  Carolinas  and  Georgia  exceeded  in  variety  and 
value  those  of  all  New  England.  While  the  production 
of  cotton  remained  profitable,  the  growth  of  slavery 
gradually  stifled  Southern  manufacturing  interests.  And 
as  another  result  of  slavery  no  further  improvements  were 
made  in  the  appliances  and  the  methods  of  preparing 
cotton  for  market.  The  standard  ante-bellum  gin,  gin- 
house,  and  screw  were  practically  the  same  in  i860  as  in 
1820.  Many  of  those  of  i860  were  larger  and  finer  than 
those  built  a  quarter  of  a  century  earlier,  but  there  was 
scarcely  a  new  idea  in  the  design.  During  this  period  of 
forty  years  the  inheritor  of  slaves  had  become  an  aris- 
tocrat; the  cunning  mechanical  skill  of  his  forefather  was 
temporarily  lost.  But,  while  lost  temporarily,  it  lived  in 
the  bones  of  the  people,  because  no  sooner  had  the  late 
war  ended,  wiping  slavery  out  of  existence,  than  one 
improvement  after  another  in  cotton  production  appeared 
in  rapid  succession.  Before  the  war  mule-power,  slave- 
labor,  and  wooden  machinery  were  in  universal  use  for  the 
preparation  of  cotton  for  market.  Every  plantation  had 
its  gin  and  gin-house,  and,  barring  only  the  separation  of 
the  lint  from  the  seed  and  baling,  all  the  operations  in 
handling  cotton  were  performed  by  man  power.  The 
cotton  was  picked  by  hand,  carried  into  the  gin-house  in 
baskets,  and  to  the  gin  by  laborers,  and  fed  to  the  gin  by 
laborers;  pushed  into  the  lint  room  and  carried  to  the 
screw  and  packed  in  the  box  of  the  screw  and  bound  with 


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6  COTTON  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  PROGRESS. 

ropes,  al!  by  hand.  Slave-labor  was  abundant  and  cost  so 
little  that  There  was  no  incentive  to  improvement. 

After  the  war  a  gin  feeder  was  invented  to  save  the 
labor  of  hand  feeding;  then  a  condenser,  to  save  lab6r  in 
the  Hnt  room;  then  a  hand-press  that  could  be  operated 
in  the  lint-room  of  the  gin-house,  to  save  carrjdng  the 
cotton  to  the  screw;  then  a  power  press,  and  finally  cotton 
elevators,  some  using  spiked  belts  and  some  air  suction. 

Within  thirty  years  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  invention, 
and  improvement  has  again  taken  possession  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  South,  and  ihey  have  revolutionized  the  whole 
method  of  preparing  cotton  for  market,  giving  theiratten- 
tion  to  the  perfection  of  all  the  machinery  and  appHances 
relating  thereto.  The  extent  of  this  progress  may  be  rea- 
lized when  it  is  remembered  that  the  cost  of  ginning  1,500 
pounds  of  seed  cottOTi  and  of  baling  the  lint  is  now  only 
about  one-fifth  of  what  it  was  in  1870.  In  the  march  of 
progress  the  plantation  gin-house  and  screw  have  been 
supplanted  almost  entirely  by  the  modern  ginneries,  which 
are  centrally  located  and  are  manufacturing  plants  rather 
than  plantation  equipments.  Many  of  them  are  incor- 
porated ns  parts  of  plants  in  which  the  lint  is  separated 
from  the  seed  and  baled,  the  oil  taken  from  the  seed,  and 
the  cake  ground  into  meal  to  be  used  as  fertilizer  or  cat- 
tle-feed, as  the  markets  may  demand. 

In  almost  every  community  in  the  South  there  may 
now  be  found  such  manufacturing  plants.  These  gin 
cotton,  crush  cotton-seed  for  cotton-seed  oil,  and  mix 
commercial  fertilizers.  Out  of  this  development  has  come 
the  further  business  of  fattening  cattle  on  cotton-seed 
hulls  and  cotton-seed  meal  at  the  plants,  and  the  prep- 
aration of  a  stock  food  made  by  mixing  the  meal  and  hulls 
in  suitable  proportions  and  putting  the  product  on  the 
market  as  an  article  of  general  merchandise. 

Before  the  war  cotton  seed  was  a  waste  product;  even 
ten  years  ago  the  hulls  were  only  used  for  fuel.  Cotton 
seed  has  been  sold  as  high  as  $20  per  ton  and  the  hulls  al 
from  3-^  to  $5  per  ton. 

At  present  the  most  expensive  item  in  the  production 


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5' 


COTTON  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  PROGRESS. 


of  cotton  IS  the  cost  of  picking  the  raw  cotton  from  the 
stalks  in  the  field.  The  exercise  of  ingenuity  looking 
toward  lessening  this  heavy  expense  has  not  been  neglec- 
ted. During  the  last  few  years,  numerous  patents  have 
been  issued  for  cotton-harvesters,  many  of  which  are  abso- 
lutely without  merit,  but  some  of  which  are  marvelously 
ingenious.  One  that  seems,  so  far,  to  have  come  nearest 
to  domg  commercially  successful  work  is  that  of  Mr.  C.  T, 
Mason,  of  South  Carolina.  The  incentive  to  the  solution 
of  this- problem  may  he  seen  from  the  following  estimate: 
The  price  now  paid  for  picking  raw  cotton  from  the 
field  is  from  50  to  75  cents  per  hundred  pounds.  About 
1,500  pounds  of  seed  cotton  are  required  to  make  a  bale  of 
lint  weighing  500  pounds.  The  cost  of  gathering  1,500 
pounds  of  cotton  at,  say  60  cents  per  hundred, is $9.  There- 
fore to  gather  ten  million  bales  will  cost,  at  present  prices, 
$90,000,000.  It  is  claimed  by  the  cotton-harvester  inven- 
tors that  a  machine  can  be  made  which  will  gather  4,000 
pounds  of  seed  cotton  per  day,  with  the  aid  of  one  laborer 
and  one  mule,  whereas  the  gathering  of  150  to  200  pounds 
by  hand  is  now  a  day's  work  for  one  man. 

The  Growth  of  the  Industry. 

The  following  table  will  give  some  idea  of  the  increase, 
as  well  as  some  idea  of  the  increased  value  of  the  crop 
since  1820.  Values  are  all  based  on  the  rate  of  10  cents 
per  pound,  and  an  average  weight  per  bale  of  500  pounds. 
The  estimates  are  given  in  round  numbers. 


Year. 

Production  in  Bales. 

Value  at  10  cts  per  Pound. 

1820 
1840 

400,000 
1,600,000 

$    20,000,000 
80,000,000 

1850 
i860 

2,250,000 
3,600,000 

112,500,000 
180,000,000 

1870 
1880 

3,000,000 
6,600,000 

150,000,000 
330,000,000 

1890 

8,000,000 

400,000,000 

As  has  already  beeii  said,  cotton  seed  was  formerly  a 
waste  proditct,  except  where  used  in  the  Southeast  to  a 


8  COTTON  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  PROGRESS. 

limited  extent  as  a  fertilizer.  Since  the  war  the  cotton 
seed  oil  business  has  been  developed  to  such  an  extent 
that  in  an  average  season,  about  1,500,000  tons  of  seed 
will  be  crushed  for  oil  and  other  products.  Out  of  these 
seed  will  come  the  following  products,  against  which 
their  values  are  shown: 

60,000.000  gallons  cotton  oil  @$  0.25 $15,000,000 

7oo,oco  tons  hulls  @      4.00 2,800,000 

500,000  tons  meal  @    20.00 10,000,000 

50,000,000  pounds  short  lint     @        .02 1,000.000 

Total $28,800,000 

This  vest  sum  of  money  comes  out  of  what  was,  in  the 
days  of  slavery,  almost  entirely  w^asted. 

But  it  is  not  alone  in  the  utilization  of  cotton  seed  that 
the  revived  mechanical  genius  of  the  South  is  being 
shown,  but  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  into  yarns  and 
cloth  as  well.  In  a  region  of  country  reaching  along  the 
foothills  of  the  mountains  from  Lynchburg  in  Virginia,  to 
Atlanta,  in  Georgia,  almost  every  town  has  one  or  more 
cotton  factories,  all  built  since  the  war.  Many  factories 
have  been  built  on  the  water  powers  in  the  country,  and 
towns  have  grown  up  ground  them.  At  first  only  coarse 
goods  were  attempted;  then  finer  and  still  finer  products 
in  succession.  While  as  yet  no  very  fine  goods  have  been 
produced,  enough  has  been  done  to  prove  that,  as  capital 
accumulates  and  the  ovv^ners  acquire  an  increased  knowl- 
edge of  the  business  and  the  operatives  improve  in  skill, 
there  is  no  more  limit  to  the  quality  of  the  goods  that 
may  be  made  about  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  than  those 
that  may  be  made  about  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  or  Man- 
chester. England. 

And  there  is  still  another  thought  suggested  by  a  study 
of  general  economic  progress.  The  present  industrial 
development  in  America,  in  England,  and  on  the  continent 
had  its  beginnings  in  four  events,  the  absence  of  any  one 
of  which  would  have  made  present  industrial  conditions 
impossible.  These  were  the  invention  of  the  power-spin- 
dle, the  inventon  of  the  power-loom,  the  invention  of  the 
cotton-gin,  and  the  response   to   these   by   the   southern 


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10  COTTON  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  PROGRESS. 

portion  of  the  United  States  in  the  production  of  the  raw 
material  for  the  utiUzation  of  these  inventions. 

It  is  not  alone  of  interest  that  the  impetus  given  to  the 
production  of  cotton  by  mechanical  inventions  has  added 
to  the  productive  capacity  of  Southern  agriculture  and 
increased  the  wealth  of  an  important  section  of  the  Uni- 
ted States.  Every  family  in  the  whole  country  has  been 
benefitted  by  the  cheapening  of  clothing  and  other  articles 
made  of  cotton,  by  reason  of  the  marvelous  increase  in  the 
production  of  this  Southern  crop.  The  manufacturing 
and  commercial  interests  of  New  England  have  been  pro- 
moted to  a  remarkable  extent  by  the  same  cause,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  effect  upon  the  cotton  manufacturing 
interests  in  England  and  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  The 
increase  in  the  consumption  of  cotton  goods  due  to  the 
wonderful  cheapening  of  their  cost,  is  another  result  of  the 
increased  cotton  crop  of  the  South,  while  the  benefit  to  alt 
shipping  interests  due  to  the  cotton  carrying  trade  is  still 
another  result.  That  cotton,  more  than  any  other  one 
item  of  freight,  has  been  the  basis  of  transatlantic  com- 
merce, is  well  known. 

Leaving  aside  such  general  benefits,  at  home  and 
abroad,  accruing  to  the  industry  and  to  the  commerce,  and 
to  the  comfort  of  the  human  race  from  the  increased  cot- 
ton production  of  the  South,  we  may  again  refer  to  the 
importance,  to  this  section  of  the  cotton  growing  indus- 
try. Cotton  as  a  basis  of  wealth  and  of  productive  indus- 
try has  made  possible  the  growth  of  prosperous  cities  and 
towns  where,  at  least  before  the  development  of  the  min- 
eral resources  of  the  South,  nothing  of  the  kind  could  have 
existed.  The  cotton  mdustry  has  contributed  to  the  suc- 
cess of  all  transportation  systems  in  our  borders.  Even 
the  development  of  Southern  coal  and  iron  mines  has  been 
hastened  by  the  need  of  iron  by  railroad  companies  for  the 
transportation  of  the  cotton  and  in  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  machinery,  and  the  need  of  coal  for  purposes  to 
which  cotton  has  given  rise.  The  cotton-growing  indus- 
tr}',  in  short,  has  furnished  what  opportunity  has  existed 
in  this  large  portion  of  the  Union  for  the  employment  of 
engineering  and  mechanical  skill,  contributing  thus  to 
every  branch  of  material  progress. 


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CHAPTER  II. 

IDalues  in  Cotton. 

A  careful  study  of  past  events  in  connection  with  the 
development  of  cotton  production,  together  with  a  study 
of  the  conditions  surrounding  the  present  state  of  the 
industry,  should  promote  a  knowledge  of  the  subject  that 
will  be  of  infinite  advantage  in  showing  what  is  the  best 
course  for  the  American  cotton  producer  to  pursue  in  the 
future. 

It  would  be  of  great  advantage  for  the  present  genera- 
tion to  know  in  what  way  the  most  money  can  be  made 
out  of  the  cotton  crop.  Constantly  increasing  produc- 
tion, constantly  lowering  prices,  increasing  cost  of  labor, 
doubt  as  to  the  extent  to  which  the  negro  will  continue 
as  a  valuable  laborer  on  the  farm,  the  extent  to  which 
white  labr^r  is  being  attracted  from  the  cultivation  of 
cotton  to  occupation?  in  its  manufacture,  markets 
for  increased  production  of  goods,  the  questionable 
future  of  the  negro;  all  these,  and  other  changing  con- 
ditions, makes  it  miportant  to  review  carefully  the 
past,  study  assiduously  the  present  conditions,  and 
upon  the  basis  of  tacts  determine,  with  discretion, 
in  what  direction  to  move  for  the  preservation  of 
that  practical  monopoly  in  the  production  of  cotton  now 
enjoyed  by  the  United  States,  for  the  betterment  of  the 
condition  of  those  engaged  in  it  and  for  the  general 
interests  of  the  people  at  large. 

Commencing  in  1790  with  a  crop  of  5.000  bales,  the 
production  of  cotton  has  continually  increased  in  the 
United  States,  reaching  in  1898  more  than  10.000,000 
bales. 

In  the  f.ame  period  the  price  has  gone  from  about  25 
cents  a  pound  to  about  6  cents  a  pound. 


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VALUES  IN  COTTON.  13 

Cotton  Monopoly. 

Before  the  civil  war  and  the  abolition  of  slavery,  the 
monopol}'  of  the  production  of  cotton  by  the  United 
States  for  the  larger  markets  was  well  nigh  complete. 
This  statement  omits  of  course  consideration  of  cotton 
raised  in  virions  countries  for  hand  spinning  and  weaving 
and  other  'lome  uses. 

Since  the  civil  war  m  the  United  States,  by  which 
slavery  was  aboHshed,  India  and  Egypt,  under  EngHsh 
direction,  have  developed  a  growing  interest  in  the  pro- 
duction and  export  of  cotton.  A  considerable  cotton 
manufacturing  interest  has  also  been  developed  in  India, 
mostly  with  English  capital  and'  under  English  manage- 
ment. 

*In  i869-'70  the  American  crop  was.  .  .  .3,122,000  bales. 
In  i869-'70  the  India  crop  was   1,985,000  bales. 

In  i88o-'8i  the  American  crop  was 6,605,000  bales. 

In  i88o-'8i  the  India  crop  was 2,093,000  bales. 

In  i890-'9i  the  American  crop  was 8,650,000  bales. 

In  i890-'9i  the  India  crop  was 3,225,000  bales. 

Since  1890  the  India  crop  has  remained  very  nearly  the 
same.  The  check  to  its  continued  growth,  however,  has 
only  been  accomplished  by  an  increase  of  production  to 
ten  and  eleven  million  bales  in  the  United  States,  while 
at  the  same  time  the  price  has  declined  to  five  cents. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  India  crop  of  i890-'9i  is 
about  the  same  as  the  American  crop  was  for  i869-'70.  It 
has  required  constant  increase  in  production,  and  con- 
stant reduction  in  price,  for  the  production  and  prices  of 
the  United  States  to  check  the  encroachments  of  India 
upon  cotton  trade  formerly  controlled  almost  exclusively 
by  this  country. 

The  conditions  brought  about  by  this  competition  are 
not  satisfactory  to  the  cotton  farmer  of  the  United  States. 
Cotton  at  5  cents  a  pound  does  not  bring  a  satisfactory 

♦Figures  reduced  to  round  numbers  are  from  "The Cotton  Plant,"" 
published  by  the  United  States  Government  under  direction  of  Chas. 
Dabn^y. 


14  VALUES  IN  COTTON. 

income.  The  contemplation  of  large  crops  and  I'ow 
prices  imder  average  past  conditions  give  scant  encour- 
agement to  the  cotton  farmer  for  the  future. 

Yet  in  view  of  the  Increasing  crops  of  India  and  Egypt 
it  is  evident  that  if  the  wiorld  wants  more  cotton,  the 
<lemand  will  be  met  and  without  any  very  great  increase 
in  price. 

The  preceding  figures  in  relation  to  the  American  and 
Indian  crop  show  that,  even  with  present  quantities  and 
at  present  prices  prevailing  in  the  United  States,  India 
could  and  would  produce  more  cotton  if  the  crop  should 
be  curtailed  in  this  country. 

The  exports  of  cotton  from  Egypt  to  Europe  and  the 
XTnited  Kingdom  are  as  follows  (round  numbers): 

In  1875,  347,000  bales. 

In  1880,  456,000  bales. 

In  1885,  500,000  bales. 

In  i8qi,  538,000  bales. 

In  1895,  634,000  bales. 

From  tliese  figures  it  will  be  seen  that  the  large  pro- 
duction attained  and  the  low  prices  reached  in  the  United 
States  do  not  stop  the  increase  of  production  in  Egypt. 
On  the  contrary,  Egypt  has  made  some  headway  in  ship- 
ping;- cotton  into  the  United  States,  the  extent  of  which 
will  be  shown  by  the  following  figures: 

In  1885,    3,815  bales. 

In  1890,  23,790  bales. 

In  1895,  59,418  bales. 
In  other  countries,  also,  progress  is  being  made.  There- 
fore, it  would  appear  that  in  time  the  less  enterprising 
people  of  the  W!orld  learn  American  methods  and  then 
apply  them  where  fairly  favorable  conditions  and  cheap 
labor  can  be  found. 

The  ante-bellum  planter,  with  slave  labor,  did  a  won- 
derful work  in  creating  methods  and  means  for  producing 
a  raw  material  that  went  far  to  take  the  place  of  \Vool  and 
linen,  and  at  a  price  to  put  a  good  material  for  clothing 
within  the  reach  of  all  humanity. 


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VALUES  IN  COTTON.  15 

The  post-bellum  farmer  has  done  equally  well  if  not 
better  in  forging  ahead  in  the  production  of  larger  quanti- 
ties, as  the  wiorld's  demand  increased,  and  at  prices  suf- 
ficiently lower  to  fairly  well  preserve  the  monopoly. 

Many  lactors  have  entered  into  the  economies  from 
year  to  year  to  keep  the  cost  of  cotton  down  below  the 
market  price.  It  formerly  cost  $5  a  bale  to  gin  and  bale 
cotton.  By  improved  methods  it  now  costs  less  than  $1 
in  mosi  parts  of  the  cotton  belt. 

The  seed  was  formerly  a  waste  product  in  some  sec- 
tions, and  of  but  scant  value  as  a  fertilizer  in  other  sec- 
tions. But  now  cotton  seed  has  become  the  raw  material 
for  a  valuable  and  prosperous  industry,  cotton  seed  oil 
milling. 

Factories  for  the  manufacture  of  commercial  fertiHzers 
have  been  established,  by  which  means  very  excellent 
fertilizers  at  very  cheap  prices  are  available  wherever  they 
are  needed. 

States  have  founded  agricultural  Cblleges,  Boards  of 
Agriculture,  Inspectors  of  Fertilizers,  Agricultural  Expe- 
riment Stations,  ana  have  in  many  other  ways  contributed 
to  the  acquisition  and  distribution  of  knowledge  of  better 
methods  and  closer  economies  in  producing  cotton. 

Decreasing  Profits  in  Producing  Cotton. 

With  the  advantage  of  all  these,  the  condition  of  the 
cotton  farmer  is  not  a  satisfactory  one.  The  following 
figures,  showing  approximate  crops  and  their  values,  all 
in  round  numbers,  will  illustrate  the  disadvantages  that 
changing  conditions  impose  upon  the  farmer: 

Crop  of  1871 — 4.250,000  bales  @  17c  $361,250,000. 

Crop  of  1880 — 5,750,000  bales  @   12c     345,000,000. 

Crop  of  1886 — 6,500,000  bales  @     9^c  308,750,000. 

Crop  of  1895 — 9,500,000  bales  @     6^c  308,750,000. 

From  the  above,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  crop  of  1895, 
while  abtout  double  that  of  1871,  only  yields  about  the 
same  money.  It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that 
the  cost  of  production  has  been  much  decreased  in  the 
same  time,  and  that  the  developing  cotton  seed  oil  busi- 


16  VALUES  IN  COTTON. 

ness  has  given  a  value  to  by  products  of  the  crop,  and 
that  the  value  of  money  is  greater  now  than  it  was  in  1871 
because  of  the  lowering  of  the  prices  of  all  other  products 
(or  the  appreciation  of  money  whichever  way  it  may  be 
called.)  The  appearance  of  furnishing  twice  the  cotton 
therefore  for  the  same  value  is  not  correct. 

Better  knowledge  and  further  economies  may  of  course 
be  introduced.  Education  may  be  improved  and  exten- 
ded. Fertilizers  will  be  more  abundantly  made,  and  sold 
cheaper.  Experiment  stations  will  develop  and  dissemi- 
nate a  knowledge  of  better  methods.  Better  and  cheaper 
methods  of  preparing  cotton  for  the  markets  will  be 
invented  and  introduced. 

But  with  all  these,  the  problem  is  still  a  serious  one. 
Assume  that  5  cents  per  pound  is  now  the  cost  of  pro- 
ducing cotton.  To  reduce  the  cost  of  production  to  four 
cents  would  be  a  saving  of  20  per  cent.  But  assuming 
that  our  schools,  experiment  stations,  fertiHzer  inspec- 
tors and  all  other  co-operating  influences  be  kept  at 
work,  a  saving  of  i  cent  per  pound,  or  20  per  cent,  of  the 
cost,  is  going  to  be  hard  to  reach. 

It  would  seem  that  the  States  and  the  people  have  been 
diligent  and  studious  in  finding  out  and  applying  well 
developed  knowledge  and  new  methods  to  keep  down  the 
cost  of  cotton  production.  Statistics  from  other  coun- 
tries show  that  without  this  constant  improvement  and 
lowering  of  prices  here,  those  other  countries  would  have 
taken  a  large  proportion  of  the  cotton  trade  which  we 
yet  control. 

It  is  evident  that  all  the  talk  about  curtailment  of  pro- 
duction and  increase  of  price  can  never  lead  to  any  good 
results.  If  such  a  policy  could  possibly  be  adopted,  the 
beneficial  effects  could  only  be  felt  during  the  one  or  two 
years  in  which  the  advanced  price  would  certainly  stimu- 
late, to  the  normal  requirements  of  the  world,  the  pro- 
duction in  other  countries,  at  very  little  if  any  bettei 
than  present  prices. 


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VALUES  IN  COTTON.  17 

How  to  Increase  Profits  in  Cotton  Growing. 

The  future  prosperity  of  the  American  cotton  producer 
lies  in  the  development  of  the  manufacture  of  the  staple 
at  home.  By  this  means  the  farmer  would  not  only  get 
a  better  price  for  his  cotton,  but  the  markets  created  for 
other  farm  products  which  are  not  now  salable,  would  go 
far  to  make  a  surplus  and  profitable  cash  income  without 
curtailing  the  production  of  cotton.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  average  cotton  farmer  has  ample  time  to  spare. 
With  a  manufacturing  population  to  take  his  perishable 
food  crops  he  could  raise  as  much  cotton  as  usual  and  sell 
chickens,  eggs,  fruits,  vegetables,  meat,  wood,  and  other 
things  required  by  factory  operatives  to  an  extent  to 
bring  as  much  cash  income  as  the  value  of  his  cotton 
crop,  thus  doubling  his  gross  income  from  the  same  farm. 
Some  more  work  would  be  required,  but  it  would  be 
pleasant  work.  The  new  income  would  be  one  that 
would  extend  over  the  entire  year,  and  would  yield  most 
cash  in  spring  and  summer  when  the  cotton  farmer  is 
needing  it  the  most. 

The  advantages  of  home  m.anufacture  may  be  illus- 
trated by  figures  as  follows: 

Take  an  ordinary  county  producing  10,000  bales  of 
cotton;  then 

lo.roo  bales  sold  in  bales  @    6c^=$300,ooo. 
10,000  bales  sold  as  cloth  @  i8c^  900.000. 

This  would  make  a  profit  of  $600,000  to  the  county. 

Assume  that  this  cloth  was  shipped  to  China  instead 
of  shipping  the  raw  cotton  to  England  and  it  becomes 
evident  that  the  English  cotton  buyer  sends  here  $300,- 
000  while  the  Chinaman  would  send  $900,000.  Tliis 
$600,000.00  additional  would  be  distributed  about  as 
follows  in  the  county. 

To  stockholders  of  the  Factories,  say $100,000 

To  Operatives   300.000 

To  Fuel  and  Supplies     100.000 

To  Miscellaneous   loo.oco 

About  half  the  money  paid  to  operatives  would  go  to 


18  VALUES  IN  COTTON. 

farmers  for  foodstuffs.  About  one  third  to  merchants. 
Some  would  be  saved. 

The  above  basis  of  i8c  a  pound  for  cloth  is  fixed  upon 
as  a  fair  average  of  the  selling  price  for  the  kinds  of  cloth 
now  being  made  in  North  Carolina. 

Finer  cloths  v/ould  show  a  correspondingly  better 
advantage. 

In  order  to  show  hov;  this  operates,  a  bolt  of  cotton 
cloth — summer  dress  goods — was  taken  from  the  stock 
of  a  country  merchant  and  weighed  up.  According  to 
the  price  charged  per  yard — and  it  was  considered  cheap 
— that  cotton  cloth  sold  for  50  cents  per  pound.  Another 
similar  bolt  sold  at  the  rate  of  64  cents  per  pound.  This 
was  in  a  North  Carohna  town,  the  county  seat  of  a  county 
making  10,000  bales  of  cotton. 

It  is  possible  that  the  cotton  from  which  this  very  cloth 
was  made,  went  away  from  the  county  at  5c  per  pound 
and  came  back  at  50  or  64  cents  per  pound. 

In  other  words,  if  a  farmer's  wife  or  daughter  bought 
this  cloth  for  a  dress,  it  might  easily  happen  that  the 
farmers  crop  of  ten  bales  of  cotton  might  have  been  sold 
for  300  dollars,  and  a  portion  of  it  bought  back  by  his 
wife  at  the  rate  of  $3,000.00  or  ten  times  its  original  value. 

And  it  is  a  question  whether  the  labor  of  turning  cot- 
ton into  cloth  was  as  much  as  that  of  producing  the  cot- 
ton. The  matter  of  making  the  cloth  is  one  of  creating 
the  facihties  and  of  knowing  how  to  do  it.  As  a  proof 
that  the  advantage  lies  with  the  manufacturer,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  visit  a  town  in  the  cotton  belt  having  good 
agricultural  surroundings  but  no  manufactures,  and  then 
visit  a  cotton  manufacturing  centre,  in  or  out  of  the  cot- 
ton belt. 

Prosperity  of  Manufacturing  Towns. 

In  the  former  the  conspicuous  elements  are  unpainted 
houses,  idle  people  on  the  streets,  a  want  of  public 
impr*ovement,  besides  many  other  similar  deficiencies.  In 
the  latter,  the  streets  are  paved,  the  people  are  alert, 
houses  are  in  good  repair  and  painted;  and  all  evidences 


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VALUES  IN  COTTON.  19 

go  to  show  the  vakie  to  a  people  of  making  cotton  woith 
more  than  6c.  a  pound  before  sending  it  away  from  home. 

\\  hile  the  figures  show  that  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
enriches  a  country,  there  is  never  any  certainty  that  any 
one  person  or  any  one  mill  will  get  rich  or  even  make 
money.  With  the  increased  income  to  a  country  on  man- 
ufactured cotton  over  and  above  raw  cotton,  everybody 
ought  to  live  better,  and  everybody  certainly  has  the 
chance  to  make  a  better  living,  and  even  accumulate 
property  if  they  work  and  are  thrifty  and  economical. 

The  opportunity  to  accumulate  property  and  get  rich 
is  within  the  reach  of  all  wherever  successful  manufactur- 
ing is  done;  but  it  is  not  the  nature  of  all  people  to  save 
money,  even  when  they  make  it. 

Property  in  any  community  always  benefits  the  whole 
people  as  well  as  those  who  accumulate  property. 

The  roads  are  better,  public  buildings  are  better,  streets 
and  pavements  are  better,  schools,  libraries,  churches,  art 
galleries  and  all  other  things  that  go  to  make  up  human 
life  are  better.  In  peace  or  in  war  it  is  the  prosperous 
country  that  is  most  successful  and  whose  people  are  most 
independent.  The  best  prosperity  in  peace  and  the  great- 
est strength  in  war  belong  to  the  manufacturing  people 
of  ihe  world. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  change  that  the  introduction  of 
manufactures  makes  in  a  town  or  city,  notice  the  contrast 
between  the  public  buildings  of  Charlotte,  N.  C,  in  1888 
and  in  1898. 

The  possibilities  for  multiplying  wealth  and  keeping 
money  in  circulation  at  home  are  startHng  from  their  very 
magnitude. 

Figuring  the  American  crop  at  ten  miUion  bales,  we 
v.'ould  have: 

10,000.000  bales  sold  as  cotton  @  6c  $300,000,000.00. 
10,000,000  bales  sold  as  cloth  @   i8c       900,000,000.00. 

This  would  bring  to  the  people  of  the  cotton  region 
in  America  three  times  the  money  now  received  for  the 
cotton  crop.  It  is  not  to  be  assumed  that  the  markets 
would  take  the  entire  crop  in  the  shape  of  plain,  white 


20  VALUES  IN  COTTON. 

and  colored  goods.  But,  with  our  increasing  trade  with 
other  countries  requiring  plain  goods,  there  would  seem 
to  be  ample  room  to  extend  operations  in  that  direction 
for  some  time  to  come.  The  following  are  some  figures 
relating  to  Chinese  trade. 

Imports  Into  China $170,991,384  value. 

Imports  from  U.  S.  into  China 9,659,440  value. 

Imports  Cotton  Goods  into  China.  .  .  64,028,692  value. 
Imports  Cotton  Goods  U.  S.  into  China    7,438,203  value. 

There  are  other  countries  more  or  less  similarly  situa- 
ted. 

In  North  Carolina  the  quantity  of  cotton  manufactured 
is  something  over  300,000  bales.  The  report  of  the  com- 
missioner of  labor  for  the  State  shows  that  this  requires 
something  over  30^000  operatives  in  her  factories.  Thus 
in  making  plain  goods,  white  and  colored,  a  factory  w"ll 
consume  about  ten  bales  of  cotton  for  each  person 
employed. 

At  this  rate  an  entire  crop  of  American  cotton  aggre- 
gating 10,000,000  bales  could  be  manufactured  into  plain 
goods  by  1,000,000  operatives.  The  population  of  the 
American  cotton  producing  area  is  probably  about  20,- 
000,000  people.  Those  who  know  the  existing  condi- 
tions will  probably  not  dissent  from  the  opinion  that  it 
would  be  easy  to  put  1,000,000  people  to  work  manufac- 
turing cotton,  and  never  miss  them,  from  present 
employments. 

Estimating  12,000,000  out  of  the  entire  population  as 
being  white  people,  even  from  amongst  these,  a  million 
could  be  more  than  easily  spared. 

The  creation  of  the  means  for  profitable  employment 
in  any  community  elevates  the  community  and  the  people 
also.  Districts  that  are  purely  agricultural  furnish  scant 
encouragement  to  those  who  are  not  situated  so  they  can 
farm.  There  is  many  an  instance  where  a  person  has 
lived  a  humdrum  life  in  an  agricultural  com.munity,  and 
whose  energies  were  not  held  in  high  esteem,  but  who. 
became  of  great  value  in  the  development  of  a  manufac- 
turing interest. 


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VALUES  IN  COTTON.  21 

The  above  estimate  of  the  possibiHties  with  present 
conditions  is  based  to  some  extent  on  actual  results  that 
have  been  attained  in  North  Carolina.  By  the  report  of 
the  commissioner  of  labor,  the  crop  of  the  State  is  some- 
thing over  500,000  bales;  500,000  bales  @  6c.  would 
yield  $15,000,000;  300,000  bales  now  manufactured  into 
cloth  2nd  yarn  actually  do  yield  an  average  of  i8c.  or 
$27,000,000.  The  value  of  the  remaining  200.000  bales 
@  6c.  w^uld  be  $6,000,000.  Thus  the  crop  of  North 
Carolina  now  actuallv  yields  in  money  to  her  people 
about  $33,000,000  as  against  $15,000,000  if  the  whole 
were  still  sold  in  a  raw  state. 

The  factory  that  triples  the  price  of  cotton  should  al^^o 
triple  the  value  of  the  neighboring  land  upon  which  the 
cotton  is  produced.  The  factory  in  efTect,  pays  a  bounty 
to  the  farmer.     This  bounty  is  paid  as  follows: 

1.  A  factory  pays  an  average  of  |  cent  more  for 
cotton  than  is  paid  for  shipment  or  export.  While  this 
is  not  a  voluntary  contribution,  (the  factory  pays  it  to 
keep  the  local  cotton  from  going  away,  thereby  avoiding 
paying  freight  on  other  cotton.)  It  is  about  one  dollar  per 
bale  bounty  to  the  farmer  nevertheless. 

2.  A  market  is  created  for  wood,  chickens,  eggs,  but- 
ter, milk,  fruit,  vegetables,  pork,  mutton,  and  even-  other 
food  stuff  for  humanity  that  a  farm  in  the  cotton  region  is 
capable  of  raising. 

3.  There  would  be  from  time  to  time  profitable  occu- 
pation for  some  members  of  farmers  families  in  teaching 
school,  working  in  the  factory,  clerking,  etc.,  etc. 
Doctors  and  store  keepers  get  patronage  and  trade,  and 
these  in  turn  must  have  food  stuffs. 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  with  ample  markets  and 
other  advantages,  a  thrifty  farmer  could  double  his 
income  by  the  sale  of  stuffs  for  which,  without  manufac- 
tures, he  has  no  markets,  and  much  of  which  he  now 
produces  and  loses. 

Some  apprehension  has  been  expressed  that  the  facto- 
ries would  injure  the  farming  interests.  That  the  better 
and  more  regular  wages  in  factories  would  attract  people 


22  VALUES  IN  COTTON. 

from  the  farms  and  thus  cause  their  abandonment.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  tendency  is  the  other  way.  As  facto- 
ries are  estabHshed  and  increased,  farming  becomes  more 
and  more  attractive.  This  is  not  a  matter  of  opinion  or 
a  theory,  but  the  increased  value  of  land  and  the  better 
condition  of  the  farming  interests  are  conspicuous  where- 
ever  factories  have  been  established. 

If,  however,  it  should  become  necessary  to  still 
further  stimulate  the  farming  interests  beyond  what  the 
factories  naturally  giv'-%  this  could  be  profitably  accom- 
plished by  paying  a  direct  bounty  on  every  pound  of  cot- 
ton produced.  The  need  for  this  is  a  long  time  off;  for 
reasons  have  already  been  given  to  show  that  the  estab- 
lishment of  factories  is  calculated  to  double  the  income  of 
neighboring  farmers.  This  is  the  same  result  as  if  cotton 
brought  in  the  market  12  cents  instead  of  6c.  or  loc.  m 
place  of  5c. 

In  the  previous  discussion,  the  manufacture  of  plain 
white  goods  and  ordinary  checks  and  plaids  have  been 
considered.  These  bring  an  average  price  about  three 
times  the  value  of  cotton.  With  increasing  knowledge, 
skill  and  experience,  goods  may  be  made  which  are  worth 
five  times  and  ten  times  the  value  of  raw  cotton.  In 
order  that  the  greater  advantages  of  these  better  prices 
may  in  future  be  obtained,  it  is  important  to  give  careful 
attention  to  the  subject  of  Textile  Education.  Assum.- 
ing  that  the  crop  of  10,000,000  bales  could  be  made  worth 
an  average  of  6oc.  a  pound  by  manufacture  into  finer 
goods  at  home,  we  would  have: 
10.000,000  bales  at  6c.  yielding  now  $300,000,000. 
10,000,000  bales  at  6oc.  yielding  then  $3,000,000,000. 

Organdies  in  any  dry  goods  store  sell  every  day  at  the 
rate  of  60  cents  per  pound.  Finely  made  and  well  finished 
cotton  goods  of  many  kinds  sell  as  high  as  $2.00  per 
pound,  and  even  higher. 

We  all  know  that  the  cheapest  and  best  raw  material 
in  the  world  for  plain  clothing  (cotton)  is  available  here 
in  great  quantity.  That  the  market  for  the  product  is 
the  whole  world.     That  there  is  a  large  idle  population 


Fig    13.     Old  Court  House,  Charlotte,  N.  C,  1888. 


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VALUES  IN  COTTON.  23 

capable  of  making  good  operatives  and  needing  employ- 
ment. It  has  already  been  proven  that  manufacturing 
can  be  successfully  carried  on  in  the  cotton  growing  area 
of  the  United  States.  We  need  fostering  laws,  the  comi- 
dence  of  home  capital,  education  and  training  in  textile 
work. 

Overproduction. 

The  question  of  overproduction  would  seem  to  be 
dependent  on  the  development  of  foreign  trade  to  take 
the  goods.  The  cotton  crop  is  now  about  ten  million 
bales.  About  one  quarter  of  this  crop  is  manufactured 
in  the  United  States.  The  remaining  seven  and  a  half 
million  bales  are  sent  abroad  to  be  manufactured.  If  our 
export  trade  facilities  shoud  be  made  equal  to  those  of 
England  and  Germany,  then  the  subject  would  be  reduced 
to  one  of  our  ability  to  compete.  In  plain  white  goods  we 
are  now  competing  in  the  Chinese,  and  some  other  mar- 
kets, against  the  manufacturers  of  the  world. 

England  and  Germany  and  other  countries  are  willing 
enough  to  send  subsidized  ships  here  to  take  away  our 
raw  cotton  at  5  cents  per  pound.  They  would  soon  tire 
of  takini]^  away  our  manufactured  goods  at  15  cents  per 
pound  and  upward.  We  must  have  our  own  national 
shipping  facilities  and  our  banking  houses  in  the  foreign 
countries. 

With  these  advantages,  there  is  no  good  reason  why 
the  American  manufacturer  cannot  make  cotton  goods  as 
economically  as  any  other  country,  and  extend  his  trade 
over  the  entire  world.  If  this  be  done  then  the  construc- 
tion of  new  factories  may  continue  until  the  entire  cotton 
crop  is  manufactured  at  home.  Without  a  growing 
export  trade,  there  are  now  mills  enough  to  supply  the 
entire  home  markets.  The  American  export  trade  is  now 
growing  rapidly,  and  seems  fair  to  continue  to  do  so.  As 
long  as.  this  continues  there  is  no  immediate  danger  of 
overproduction. 

If  the  cotton  is  manufactured  at  home,  it  is  not  only 
important,  but  essential,  to  have  shipping  facilities  to  dis- 
tribute the  manufactured  products  over  the  world. 


24  VALUES   IN   COTTON. 

Our  shipping  interest  is  in  exceedingly  bad  condition. 
In  truth,  excepting  only  in  coastwise  or  domestic  trade, 
we  have  very  little  shipping  interest.  While  our  future 
prosperity  is  dependent  upon  manufactures,  the  manufac- 
turing interest,  in  turn,  is  dependent  on  the  development 
and  maint.iinance  of  a  merchant  marine  which  will  distri- 
bute our  goods  over  the  world.  Every  cotton  manufac- 
turer and  cotton  farmer  should  aid  in  every  way  possible 
the  development  of  our  shipping  interests. 

We  have  more  railroads  than  all  the  rest  of  the  world 
combined.  With  these  our  domestic  transportation  facil- 
ities are  the  finest  m  the  world,  and  our  domestic  freight 
rates  are  exceedingly  low.  Yet  the  ocean  traffic  under  the 
American  flag  is  insignificant. 

The  English  travel  in  their  own  ships,  as  we  travel  in 
our  own  railway  trains,  but  the  Americans  have  neglected 
to  provide  facilities  for  foreign  trade. 

Much  has  been  said  about  competition  between  the 
North  and  South  in  cotton  manufacture.  This  talk 
seems  to  be  without  good  reason.  The  cotton  manufac- 
turers of  the  United  States,  North  and  South  alike,  are 
together  in  competition  with  those  of  Germany  and  Eng- 
land. Conditions  that  will  make  prosperity  in  the  South 
will  also  make  prosperity  in  the  North.  It  is  important 
that  the  people  of  both  sections  work  together  to  creaie 
proper  shipping  facilities  for  the  export  of  our  products, 
and  that  we  co-operate  to  bring  about  national  laws  to 
develop  and  foster  cur  export  trade  in  manufactured 
cotton  goods. 


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CHAPTER  III. 


©rgantsatton  of  Company. 


The  first  move  in  the  organization  of  a  company  is  the 
subscription  list.  This  is  generally  very  simple,  as  fol- 
lows : 

"We.  the  undersigned,  hereby  subscribe  the  sums  set 
■opposite  our  names  to  the  capital  stock  of  a  company  to 
be  formed  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  cotton  mill  at  or 
near Edgefield.  S.  C Shares  $ioo  each. 


Name. 

No.  Shares. 

Amount. 

Another  form,  with  conditions,  would  be  as  follows: 

"We,  the  undersigned,  hereby  subscribe  the  sums  set 
opposite  our  names  to  the  capital  stock  of  a  company  to 
be  formed  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  cotton  mill  at  or 
near Canton,  Aliss Shares  $ioo  each. 

When  S65,ooo  is  subscribed,  the  company  maybeorgan- 
ized  and  proceed  to  build  a  mill. 

Additional  subscriptions  may  be  obtained  up  to  $200.- 
000.00. 


Name. 

No.  Shares. 

Amount. 

Next  after  the  subscription  fist  comes  the  charter.  Tlie 
laws  in  different  States  vary  so  greatly,  as  to  method  of 
■obtaining  charters,  that  no  suggestion  can  be  made  here 
as  to  charter  except  that  a  lawyer  should  be  employed  to 
■obtain  one.     The  charter  ought  to  be  as  liberal  as  possi- 


26  ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY. 

ble  a.-}  to  ihe  limits  of  capital.  It  should  permit  starting 
business  on  a  low  minimum  capital  subscribed,  and  should 
permit  continued  subscriptions  to  a  fairly  high  figure.  If 
it  is  contemplated  to  raise  $100,000.00  more  or  less,  then 
the  charter  should  make  $75,000  the  capital  necessary 
before  organizing  and  $250,000  the  limit  on  the  high  side. 
Of  course  even  this  could  be  increased  at  a  future  time  by 
amending  the  charter. 

After  the  charter,  comes  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders 
to  elect  directors.  At  this  meeting  the  By  Laws  should 
be  ready  and  should  be  adopted. 

The  directors  elect  the  officers.  They  should  be 
authorized  to  call  in  the  capital  stock  as  needed.  It  might 
be  better  to  fix  the  calls  as  for  example  10  per  cent,  per 
month  until  the  stock  was  paid  to  par  value. 

The  By  Laws  for  a  cotton  mill  company  are  usually 
about  as  follows: 

By-Laws. 

Section  i.  Members  of  this  corporation  shall  be  per- 
sons of  the  age  of  twenty-one  (21)  years  and  upwards. 
Minors  may  hold  stock  by  trustees,  but  not  otherwise. 

Section  2.  Each  stockholder  will  be  held  bound  to 
pay  his  assessments  and  faithfully  observe  and  fulfill  all 
the  requirements  of  the  Charter  and  By-Laws. 

Section  3.  Annual  meetings  shall  be  held  second 
Wednesday  of  April  of  each  year  for  the  purpose  of  elec- 
ting Directors  and  receiving  the  reports  of  officers,  and 
for  the  transaction  of  any  other  business  that  may  prop- 
erly come  up  for  consideration. 

Section  4.  At  the  annual  meeting  the  President,  Vice- 
President  and  Treasurer  shall  make  their  annual  report. 

Section  5.  At  all  regular  and  special  meetings  of  the 
stockholders  a  majority  of  the  stock  shall  constitute  a 
quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

Section  6.  The  President  and  Directors  or  a  majority 
of  the  Board  may  call  a  special  meeting  of  the  stockhold- 
ers at  any  time  on  mailing  written  notice  or  publishing 
ten  (10)  days'  notice  thereof  in  a  newspaper  published  in 
the  city  of  Charlotte. 


F:§-.  17.      Old  City  Hall,  Charlotte,  N.  C,  i 


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l^jst  "* 


Fig-.   i8.     New  City  Hall.  Charlotte,  N.  C,   1898. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY.  27 

Section  7.  None  but  stockholders  shall  be  ehgible  to 
the  office  of  Director,  and  whenever  any  vacancy  shall 
occur  in  the  Board  of  Directors  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
Bo;.rd  to  fill  such  vacancy  until  the  next  meeting  of  the 
stockholders. 

Section  8.  A  majority  c_  the  Board  of  Directors  shall 
constitute  a  quorum.  In  the  absence  of  the  President, 
the  Vice  President  will  perform  the  duties  of  the  Presi- 
dent. 

Section  9.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  meet  from 
time  to  time  and  on  such  day  as  they  may  deem  best  for 
the  interest  of  the  Corporation;  they  shall  constitute  the 
Council  of  Administration,  and  it  shall  be  their  duty  to 
manage  the  business  affairs  of  the  Corporation,  to  exam- 
ine regularly  the  books  and  accounts  of  the  Treasurer, 
and  they  may  appoint  from  their  own  members,  such 
committees  as  may  be  necessar}^  except  as  provided  in 
section  17  of  the  By-Laws. 

Section  10.  The  President  shall  have  charge  of  all  the 
property  and  affairs  of  the  Corporation.  He  shall  preside 
at  the  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  appoint  com- 
mittees and  make  all  contracts  for  the  Company,  and  the 
duties  of  all  the  officers  shall  be  done  subject  to  his 
direction  and  approval.  He  shall  take  into  his  keeping 
the  bonds  of  the  other  officers  of  the  Company,  cause  the 
Charter  and  By-Laws  to  be  enforced,  and  cause  the  books 
and  vouchers  of  the  Company  to  be  audited  at  regular 
intervals  not  exceeding  six  months.  He  shall  be  elected 
by  the  Board  of  Directors  for  one  year,  or  until  his  succes- 
sor is  elected. 

Section  11.  The  2nd  Vice  President  and  Secretary 
shall  keep  the  stock  book  and  seal  of  the  Company.  He 
shall  with  the  advice  and  approval  of  the  President,  pur- 
chase the  cotton,  supplies,  etc.,  sell  the  goodsand conduct 
the  general  business  of  the  Corporation,  all  of  which  shall 
be  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  He 
shall  be  elected  by  the  Board  of  Directors  for  one  year  or 
until  his  successor  is  elected.  He  shall  keep  a  record  of 
the  Company's  meetings  and  of    the    meetings    of    the 


28  ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY. 

Board  of  Directors.  His  compensation  shall  be  fixed  by 
the  Board  of  Directors. 

Section  12.  The  duties  of  the  Treasurer  shall  be  as  fol- 
lows: Keep  an  accurate  set  of  books  of  all  transactions  of 
the  Company,  and  make  and  submit  to  the  other  oflicers 
and  the  Board  of  Directors,  a  balance  sheet  each  month, 
giving  such  analysis  of  the  books  as  shall  enable  the  of- 
ficers to  fully  understand  the  profits,  losses  or  other  facts 
of  importance  relating  to  the  conduct  of  the  business. 

He  shall  furnish,  as  often  as  required,  vouchers  for  a 
proper  audit  of  the  Company's  books  and  accounts. 

He  shall  sign  all  checks,  drafts  and  notes,  provided  that 
notes  shall  also  always  be  signed  by  the  President  or  sec- 
ond Mce  President.  The  President  or  second  \^ice  Pres- 
ident may  also  countersign  checks  or  drafts.  In  the  ab- 
sence of  the  Treasurer,  the  President  or  second  Vict  Pres- 
ident shall  sign  checks,  drafts  and  notes. 

The  Board  of  Directors  shall  fix  his  compensation. 

He  shall  give  bond  in  an  approved  Security  Company 
for  an  amount  to  be  fixed  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  but 
for  no  less  than  Si 0,000. 

The  fee  for  bond  to  be  paid  by  the  Company. 

Section  13.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors at  least  five  days  previous  to  ever\-  annual  election 
for  Directors,  to  appoint  from  the  stockholders  two  com- 
petent persons  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  said  corpora- 
tion, and  to  make  report  thereof,  which  report  shall  be 
recorded  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  which  shall  al- 
ways be  open  to  the  inspection  of  any  Stockholder. 

Section  14.  Any  officer  of  the  Corporation  may  be  re- 
moved or  suspended  for  neglect  of  duty,  breach  of  trust 
or  other  sufficient  causes,  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Section  15.  All  assignments  and  transfers  of  stock 
must  be  made  upon  the  books  of  the  Corporation  at  least 
ten  (10)  days  before  each  annual  meeting,  in  order  to 
entitle  the  assignee  to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the 
original  Shareholder  at  each  annual  meeting. 

Section  16.  Any  person  desiring  to  subscribe  for 
stock  at    any    time   after    the   organization   of    the    Cor- 


ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY.  29 

poration,  may  become  a  shareholder  on  such  terms  and 
conditions  as  the  Board  of  Directors  may  prescribe. 

Section  17.  The  President,  except  as  otherwise  pro- 
vided for,  shall  appoint  such  officers  and  employees  of  the 
Corporation  as  may  be  required  from  time  to  time  for  the 
prosecution  of  its  business,  and  fix  the  amount  of  com- 
pensation to  be  paid  them. 

Section  i8.  All  election  of  ofScers  shall  be  held  by 
ballot. 

Section  19.  Certificates  of  stock  shall  be  issued  when 
Stockholders  shall  have  paid  their  assessments  in  full. 
All  certificates  of  stock  shall  be  signed  by  the  President 
and  Secretary  of  the  Company,  with  the  seal  of  the  Cor- 
poration affixed  thereto. 

Order  of  Business — Stockholders'  Meeting. 

1.  Appointment  of  committee  of  two  to  ascertain  the 
amount  of  stock  represented  in  person  and  by  proxy. 

2.  Reading  of  minutes  of  last  annual  and  any  inter- 
vening meetings. 

3.  Report  of  President  with  accompanying  reports  of 
officers. 

4.  New  business,  motions,  resolutions,  etc. 

5.  Election  of  Directors. 

6.  Adjournment. 

Number  of  Directors. 

In  introducing  manufactures  into  new  territory,  the 
companies  are  necessarily,  in  most  cases,  made  up  of  many 
small  subscribers.  This  generally  changes  as  manufactu- 
ring grows.  After  manufactures  are  well  established  a 
new  factory  is  generally  organized  by  a  small  coterie  of 
business  friends.  Sometimes  three  to  five  men  will 
arrange  to  build  a  mill  and  then  let  in  a  few  personal 
friends  for  reasonable  amounts,  if  the  friends  desire  to 
get  in. 

Even  when  the  number  of  stockholders  is  large,  it  is 
not  considered  desirable  to  have  large  directories.  Five 
directors  is  generally  considered  enough.     Seven  is  not 


30  ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY. 

objectionable  or  uncommon.  Harmony  in  the  board  is 
the  important  element.  A  mill  might  of  course  have 
15  directors  and  have  an  efficient  and  harmonious  board. 
The  chances  are,  however,  that  with  15  members  on  a 
board  they  would  either  neglect  their  duties  or  wrangle 
and  finally  quarrel.  This  would  mean  the  breaking  up 
of  the  mill.  Nothing  will  more  certainly  break  a  cotton 
mill  company  than  a  quarrel  in  the  board  of  directors  or 
amongst  the  stockholders.  The  officers  should  be  of  a 
kind  that  could  occupy  their  positions  one  year  after 
another  without  interruption. 

One  of  the  objections  to  a  large  list  of  stockholders  is 
that  there  is  liable  to  be  some  obstructive  man  who  is 
purposely  making  trouble  for  the  executive  officers.  It 
may  be  a  man  who  wanrs  to  buy  cotton  for  the  mill,  or  do 
the  law  business  for  the  mill  or  be  treasurer,  or  it  may  be 
one  W'ho  simply  delights  in  making  trouble. 

Sometimes  when  a  company  has  many  stockholders  a 
small  coterie  of  these  get  enough  stock  to  control  the 
company  and  then  these  determine  in  a  conference  what 
is  to  be  done  and  what  not  done.  Then  when  the  stock- 
holders meet,  the  dissentious  element  can  do  little  harm. 

In  most  companies  the  minority  stock  tends  to  scatter. 
It  is  bought  by  individuals  for  investment,  and  the  known 
strength  of  the  controlling  majority  is  a  point  in  favor  of 
the  stock  rather  than  against  it. 

Salaries. 

The  personnel  of  the  organization  varies  so  much  that 
there  is  no  standard  method  of  organizing  or  of  fixing 
salaries.  It  is  entirely  unlike  the  political  organization 
of  a  State,  having  a  governorship  with  a  fixed  salary  and 
well  defined  duties,  and  other  official  positions  having 
fixed  salaries  and  well  defined  duties. 

When  manufactures  have  become  well  established,  a  new 
mill  is  sometimes  organized  by  a  number  of  men  who 
perceive  that  some  one  man  is  a  promising  manufacturer. 
So  much  stress  is  laid  on  the  qualities  of  the  man  that 
investors  will  raise  money  to  be  put  in  the  hands  of  the 
good  manufacturer.     In  such  case  this  man  would  be  apt 


ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY.  31 

to  be  made  President  and  Treasurer  and  be  allowed  to 
select  his  own  bookkeeper  who  would  be  made  secretary. 

If  this  is  a  young  man  he  might  have  been  receiving  in 
his  old  place  $1,200,  $1,500,  $1,800,  $2,500  or  even  $3,000 
per  year  salary,  according  to  size  of  mill.  In  the  new 
place,  he  might  get  $1,500,  $2,000,  $2,500,  $3,000  at  the 
start  of  the  new  enterprise,  with  the  understanding  that 
he  is  to  receive  better  pay  when  the  new  property  is  made 
a  success. 

For  a  mill  of  10,000  spindles  and  320  looms,  the  salary 
list  might  be  as  follows. 

President  and  Treasurer    $2,500.00 

Secretary    1,200.00 

Superintendent 1,500.0c 

or  it  might  be  with  an  entirely  different  set  of  people  as 
follows : 

President $    600.00 

Secretar}'  and  Treasurer   2,000.00 

Superintendent    1,800.00 

In  the  former  case  the  President  and  Treasurer  would 
be  the  man  to  give  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the 
business. 

In  the  latter  case,  the  Secretary  and  Treasurer  would 
be  the  active  man  of  affairs,  the  President  probably  mak- 
ing the  financial  arrangements  and  exercising  very  gen- 
eral supervision. 

In  a  mill  having  50  to  100  thousand  spindles  the  Pres- 
ident and  Treasurer,  when  the  active  man  would  receive 
a  salary  of  $8,000  to  $12,000.  The  Secretary  would  get 
about  $2,000  and  the  Superintendent  $4,000. 

In  a  mill  of  75,000  spindles,  the  salary  list  might  run  as 
follows: 

President  and  Treasurer $10,000 

Secretary 2.500 

Superintendent    5, 000 

Bookkeeper 1,500 

Shipping  Clerk 1,000 

Cotton  Buyer   2.000 

Total $22,000 


32  ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY. 

It  might  be  said  that  the  salary  list  varies  from  2  to  5 
per  cent,  of  the  capital  stock,  but  this  is  no  rule.  Some 
times  it  is  more  and  sometimes  less.  The  desire  of  the 
stockholders  is  always  to  get  a  man  who  can  make  good 
profits  and  the  man  who  can  do  this  can  command  a 
salary  that  bears  no  relation  to  anything  else  except  the 
profits  he  makes. 

Experience  shows  that  the  man  who  knows  his  business 
well  and  can  handle  his  labor  well  is  cheap  at  any  price. 

It  has  been  fairly  well  demonstrated  that  small  mills 
pay  about  as  well  as  large  ones  where  proper  attention  is 
given  to  keeping  down  fixed  changes.  A  small  and  com- 
paratively poor  town  should  not  expect  to  be  able  to 
build  a  large  factory.  But  it  may  build  a  small  one,  and 
by  hard  work  and  careful  management  develop  it  into  a 
large  one. 

The  history  of  all  people  and  of  every  nation  is  that 
there  is  always  room  for  people  of  moderate  means  to 
start  business  in  a  small  way  and  make  it  successful. 
Whenever  this  becom.es  otherwise  in  any  country,  then 
civilization  has  reached  its  maximum  and  that  country 
will  not  long  survive. 

Cotton  mills  have  been  started  with  25  to  30  thousand 
dollars  and  made  successful,  even  by  people  not  very 
familiar  with  the  business. 

In  Philadelphia  many  a  good  weaver  has  saved  money 
enough  to  buy  one  or  two  dozen  looms  and  started  busi- 
ness in  some  rented  loft,  renting  power  also  and  buying 
yarn.  Such  a  business  has  been  started  with  as  little 
capital  as  $2,000  or  $3,000  and  ultimately  developed  into 
a  large  manufacturing  establishment. 

There  would,  therefore,  seem  to  be  neither  a  high  nor 
low  limit  of  capital  necessary  for  the  construction  of  a 
cotton  mill  for  those  who  are  experts  in  the  process. 

For  those  not  familiar  with  the  processes,  a  mill  of 
sufficient  size  must  be  built  to  warrant  the  employment 
of  a  skilled  Supt.  The  business  can  always  be  done  by 
home  people.  It  would  seem  as  if  about  $65,000  to  $75,- 
000  is  the  low  limit  of  capital  that  ought  to  be  subscribed 


ORGANIZATION  OF  COMPANY.  33 

for  a  cotton  mill  in  a  new  section.  With  this  sum,  a  mill 
of  2,500  to  3,000  spindles  and  80  to  100  looms  can  be 
erected,  including  operative's  houses,  but  no  surplus  or 
working'  capital. 

It  is  best  of  course  for  a  cotton  mill  to  have  10  to  20 
per  cent,  of  its  capital  stock  as  working  capital. 

The  older  mills  in  the  South  generally  arrange  this  out 
of  their  surplus. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  most  of  the  new  mills 
start  without  working  capital.  Money  for  cotton  is 
borrowed  from  home  banks,  and  the  product  is  either 
sold  or  consigned  to  a  commission  house  and  drawn 
against  for  75  to  90  per  cent,  of  its  value. 

The  most  ordinary  plan  is  to  borrow  money  at  home  for 
cotton,  and  then  sell  the  product  as  fast  as  made. 

In  some  cases  the  banks  will  lend  money  to  a  mill  on 
its  own  note,  holdin^^  a  claim  on  cotton  purchased,  as 
additional  security.  Sometimes  the  bank  also  wants  the 
indorsement  of  the  President  or  Treasurer,  or  both.  In 
a  few  cases  the  entiic  Board  of  Directors  indorses  the 
paper  to  raise  working  capital  for  the  mill.  This  latter  is 
rarely  done  except  when  the  cost  of  the  mill  exceeds  the 
capital  stock,  thereby  leaving  the  mill  in  debt  on  its  con- 
struction account  as  well  as  for  the  working  capital. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Xocation  ant)  SurrounMngs. 

The  conditions  to  be  examined  into  preliminary  to  the 
establishment  of  a  cotton  manufacturing  plant  may  be 
enumerated  as  follows:  location,  water  supply,  freight 
rates,  raw  material. 

Location. 

The  location  should  be  healthful  above  all  other  con- 
siderations. Factory  operatives  cannot  do  good  work 
except  in  good  health. 

The  character  of  the  ground  should  at  a  reasonable 
depth  furnish  good  foundations. 

The  factory  and  the  houses  should  be  above  overflow 
level  from  any  adjacent  stream  or  otherwise. 

There  should  be  ample  room  for  operatives  houses  and 
if  possible  space  should  be  allowed  with  each  house  for  a 
garden.  Half  acre  for  each  house  is  desirable  if  it  can  be 
obtained  at  reasonable  price.  For  a  ten  thousand  spindle 
mill,  5  to  10  acres  for  the  mill  lot  and  40  acres  for  opera- 
tives houses  would  be  desirable. 

In  organizing  a  new  company,  the  people  who  subscribe 
to  the  stock,  often  do  so  not  only  as  an  investment  but  as 
a  help  to  the  town  in  which  they  live.  In  pursuance  of 
this  thought,  they  frequently  argue  for  locating  the  mdl 
within  the  incorporate  limits  of  the  town  or  city. 

On  the  whole,  it  may  be  considered  good  advice  for  a 
new  mill  not  to  locate  within  the  limits  of  a  city  or  town. 
If  the  matter  of  building  up  a  town  is  to  be  considered,  a 
mill  located  just  outside  the  incorporate  limits  will  escape 
city  taxation  and  other  disadvantages,  and  at  the  same 
time  contribute  to  the  city's  trade.  Small  country  stores 
are  likely  to  spring  up  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mill  and 
absorb  some  of  the  trade;  but  a  similar  condition  would 
also  divide  the  trade  if  the  mill  was  in  the  city. 


3*0- 


U  Pi 


?3    3rq 
■3  5      O 


V"^^ 


■^^sf** 


LOCATION     AND     SURROUNDINGS.  35 

If  building  up  the  trade  of  a  city  has  no  influence  in  the 
locating,  the  mill  may  be  located  to  advantage  in  the 
remote  country,  where  the  full  benefit  of  mercantile 
features  may  be  enjoyed  by  the  mill  company. 

There  are  advantages  and  disadvantages  in  locating  in 
a  city.  There  are  alsD  advantages  and  disadvantages  in 
locating  in  the  country. 

The  employees  generally  prefer  to  live  in  a  city.  There- 
fore a  city  mill  gets  some  preference  as  to  employees.  En 
most  cases  city  taxes  must  be  paid,  which  is  a  disadvan- 
tage. The  proximity  of  lawyers  also  promotes  law  suit-j 
both  in  the  business  of  the  mill  and  for  operatives  that 
may  be  hurt  in  the  mill  in  any  accidental  way.  The  mer- 
cantile business  necessarily  goes  to  the  people  of  the  city 
or  town,  whereas  a  mill  in  the  country  can  operate  its  ov/n 
store  and  thereby  get  back  in  mercantile  profit  much  of 
the  money  paid  for  wages. 

An  important  advantage  of  locating  in  the  country  is 
that  employees  go  to  bed  at  a  reasonable  hour  and  are 
therefore  in  better  condition  to  work  in  day  time. 

Water  Supply. 

It  is  very  important  that  a  good  water  supply  be  obtain- 
able, both  for  drinking  purposes  and  for  power  and  other 
general  purposes. 

For  power  purposes,  where  the  power  is  steam,  the 
water  needed  for  a  non-condensing  engine  should  be  at 
least  5  gallons  per  horse  power  per  hour.  For  fire  protec- 
tion, scouring,  &c.,  &c.,  another  five  gallons  per  horse 
power  would  not  be  amiss. 

It  is  better  still  to  have  practically  unlimited  water  so 
that  a  condensing  engine  can  be  operated  without  the 
need  of  the  cooling  tower. 

Where  the  surface  water  supply  becomes  inadequate, 
as  happens  sometimes  in  extension  of  the  mill,  or  other- 
wise, it  frequently  happens  that  an  underground  supply 
can  be  found  by  a  suitable  sub-surface  survey.  This 
would  consist  of  a  series  of  drillings  and  careful  observa- 
tions of  the  geological  conditions  by  an  expert. 


36  LOCATION     AND     SURROUNDINGS. 

Freight  Rates. 

There  is  no  point  in  the  cotton  growing  area  where 
freight  rates  would  prohibit  the  manufacture  of  cotton. 
There  are  points  where  coal  would  be  somewhat  expen- 
sive, but  wherever  the  rates  on  goods  would  be  high, 
the  rates  on  cotton  would  also  be  high,  and  the  local 
price  of  cotton  would  be  correspondingly  low.  The 
freight  on  machinery  and  supplies  would  of  course  count 
for  something,  but  this  is  mostly  on  the  first  cost  of 
the  plant.  If  possible,  it  is  better  to  locate  where  two 
different  systems  of  railway  can  be  reached.  This  is  not 
because  rates  would  be  made  less,  but  for  the  advantages 
of  small  accomodations  from  the  local  agents  who  will 
if  necessary,  compete  to  some  extent  within  the  limits  of 
the  agreements  of  the  companies  or  general  officers. 

Raw  Material — Cotton. 

The  question  of  raw  material  is  one  of  the  first  matters 
to  claim  attention  in  locating  most  manufacturing  plants. 
But  in  the  cotton  producing  region,  it  is  of  less  importance 
than  any  other  one  element.  Cotton  may  always  be  pro- 
cured under  as  favorable  conditions  and  prices  as  compe- 
ting factories.  If  there  should  appear  to  be  a  difference 
one  way  or  another,  it  is  usually  offset  by  other  advanta- 
ges or  disadvantages. 

General  Conditions. 

In  some  States  new  factories  are  relieved  by  law  from 
taxation  for  a  period  of  years,  generally  ten  years. 

There  is  an  impression  that  the  mills  operated  by  water 
power  have  been  more  profitable  than  those  operated  by 
steam.  The  water  power  mill  is  almost  always  in  the 
country  and  generally  operates  its  own  store.  The  mer- 
cantile business  gives  some  advantage  but  a  steam  mill 
under  the  same  conditions  would  get  the  same  advantage, 
and  on  an  average  would  do  as  well. 

Steam  is,  in  fact,  the  power  of  the  world.  Omitting 
home  n-.ade  or  hand  made  products  perhaps  95  per  cent, 
of  the  goods  of  the  world  are  made  with  steam  power. 


a  -• 


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?  « 


o    » 


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w 


n 

o 


LOCATION     AND     SURROUNDINGS.  37 

Therefore  the  prices  of  products  are  based  upon  the  cost 
of  steam  power. 

The  relative  quantity  of  steam  and  water  power  used 
will  probably  be  changed  by  the  use  of  electricity  for 
transmitting  water  power  from  points  where  the  water 
power  is  located  to  points  where  it  can  be  used.  Man} 
water  powers  heretofore  unavailable  are  on  this  account 
becoming  valuable. 

Many  mill  companies  provide  school  houses  and  con- 
tribute something  to  the  support  of  schools.  It  can 
generally  be  arranged  to  get  a  fair  proportion  of  the  public 
school  fund  upon  condition  that  the  school  trustees  be 
allowed  to  have  something  to  do  with  selecting  the 
teacher  and  conducting  the  school.  A  few  factory  com-- 
panies  furnish  houses  and  support  schools  entirely  at  the 
cost  of  the  factory  companies. 

Many  factories  furnish  a  house  called  a  Lyceum  or 
Auditorium.  This  is  held  for  the  free  use  of  the  opera- 
tives for  church  and  Sunday  school  purposes  and  for 
holding  proper  entertainments  or  conducting  innocent 
amusement. 

A  few  mills  provide  and  maintain  libraries  for  the  free 
use  of  the  operatives. 

Sometimes  one  building  serves  as  a  school,  auditorium, 
library  and  reading  room. 

The  most  successful  and  intelligent  cotton  mill  man- 
agements are  giving  more  and  more  attention  to  the 
subject  of  improving  the  condition  of  factor}^  operatives 
and  promoting  the  cause  of  education  among  them. 
Motives  of  philanthropy  are  partly  responsible  for  this. 
but  the  business  interest  of  the  mill  is  another  important 
incentive.  Moral  influences  and  education  make  better 
work  people. 

The  ofincers  of  well  managed  corporations  give  full 
attention  to  cleanliness  and  good  order  inside  a  mill  and 
also  to  the  general  appearance  of  grounds  and  surround- 
ings. Every  good  superintendent  has  been  trained  to 
know  that  a  dirty  mill  cannot  turn  out  first-class  product. 

It  is  less  generally  recognized,  but  equally  true,  that 


38  LOCATION     AND     SURROUNDINGS. 

ill  kept     grounds  and  svirroundings  have  their  ill  effect 
upon  the  habits  of  the  operatives. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  element  in  good  manage- 
ment is  cleanliness  and  neatness  inside  the  mill  and  well 
kept  grounds  and  surroundings  outside.  It  should  be 
the  pride  of  every  president  and  superintendent  to  make 
the  company's  property  conspicuous  by  its  cleanliness, 
neatness  and  well  kept  appearance. 

Some  cotton  mills  in  the  South  are  operated  night  and 
day.  This  is  done  with  two  different  sets  of  operatives, 
each  working  about  1 1  hours  per  turn.  Sometimes  the 
night  turn  works  only  lo^  hours.  Sometimes  only  the 
spinning  is  operated  at  night.  In  this  case  there  would 
either  be  looms  enough  to  consume  the  night  and  day 
product  of  the  spindles,  or  else  the  product  of  the  night 
turn  would  not  be  woven,  but  be  sold  as  yarn. 

New  England  mills  seldom  run  at  night. 

Many  people  in  the  South  are  opposed  to  night  work 
for  women  and  children. 

The  large  mills  of  the  South  do  no  night  work. 

In  course  of  time  probably  none  of  the  mills  will  be 
operated  at  night.  The  increased  demand  for  labor  in 
the  new  factories  will  give  everybody  a  chance  to  get  day 
light  employment,  which  of  course  is  preferred. 

The  criticisms  made  about  night  work,  however,  are 
largely  sentimental,  and  the  trouble  about  it  is  more  in 
the  minds  of  the  critics  than  with  the  operatives  them- 
selves. 

Nevertheless,  when  factories  are  only  operated  in  day 
time,  it  will  be  better  for  the  factory  and  operatives.  No 
legislation  is  needed  to  bring  about  this  change,  as  it  will 
come  in  the  ordinary  course  of  factory  evolution. 


0^' 


> 

o 

t-r- 

o 


O 
o 


CHAPTER  V. 

lRat0ing  CapttaL 

In  most  places  where  a  new  mill  is  proposed,  an  idea  is 
prevalent  that  if  half  the  money  is  raised  at  home,  then 
somebody  from  somewhere  will  furnish  the  other  half. 

Several  years  ago  tlie  builders  of  cotton  mill  machinery 
took  stock  in  new  mills  as  part  payment  for  the  machm- 
try.  This  brought  on  numerous  complications  and  trou- 
ble, and  the  practice  has  now  been  entirely  abandoned. 

Commission  houses  in  the  North  who  sell  cotton  mill 
products,  have  often  taken  stock  in  new  Southern  mills. 
They  do  this  of  course  mostly  for  the  sake  of  controlling 
the  sale  of  the  mill's  products.  For,  while  Southern  mill 
stocks  are  always  splendid  property,  there  must  always  be 
some  extra  inducement  for  capital  to  seek  investment  in 
distant  localities.  A  mill,  having  a  large  part  of  its  stock 
owned  in  this  way,  is  restricted  in  the  sale  of  its  products 
to  one  special  market,  which  market  might  at  some  time 
not  be  the  best  for  that  particular  kind  of  product. 

All  foreign  capital  is  attracted  to  new  enterprises  at  a 
distance  by  some  distinct  motive  and  is  governed  by  well 
defined  laws.  Large  amounts  of  Northern  money  have 
been  invested  in  Southern  cotton  mills;  but  they  have 
been  inHuenced  by  the  motive  above  mentioned,  or  have 
been  invested  in  stocks  of  mills  already  successful,  or  with 
men  well  known  as  successful  manufacturers.  The  dis- 
tant capitalist  is  attracted  by  success  already  accom- 
plished, and  is  not  disposed  to  risk  money  to  prove 
whether  a  new  locality  and  a  new  people  are  both  adapted 
to  make  a  success  of  cotton  manufacture.  Success  in  a 
new  m!ll  or  town  once  established  often  brings  foreign 
capital  without  the  askmg. 

The  home  capitalist  is  influenced  largely  by  the  same 
motive  as  the  foreigner.  He  prefers  for  some  one  else  to 
make  the  experiment  in  manufacturing;  if  it  is  a  failure 


40  RAISING  CAPITAL,. 

then  he  has  escaped;  ii  it  is  a  success,  then  he  can  go  in 
and  buy  the  stock  or  start  a  new  similar  enterprise. 

The  average  Southern  town  underestimates  its  ability 
to  raise  capital  to  build  a  cotton  factory.  Cotton  mill 
property,  like  all  other  property,  is  cumulative.  No  town 
could  raise  the  money  at  once  to  pay  for  all  the  property 
in  it. 

When  the  author  first  went  into  business  in  Charlotte. 
N.  C,  in  1884,  there  was  but  Httle  cotton  manufacturing 
in  the  South,  and  in  Charlotte  but  one  mill.  The  author 
at  once  formulated  a  plan  for  enabling  small  towns  to 
raise  capital  for  manufacturing. 

This  plan  was  published  in  several  periodicals  and  was 
reprinted  in  the  form  of  a  pamphlet.  As  it  covers  the 
ground  of  installment  mills  so  fully,  it  is  reproduced  here 
in  full. 


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2.  .i 

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^  2 


RAISING  CAPITAL..  41 

Preface  to  "A  Plan  to  Raise  Capital." 

While  working  as  a  machinist,  and  in  other  capacities, 
for  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Works,  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  I  always 
carried  some  stock  in  one  or  more  of  the  local  Building 
and  Loan  .Associations  at  Bethlehem. 

Towards  the  latter  part  of  my  service  with  that  com- 
pany, 1  devised  plans  foi  the  organization  of  a  Savings 
Fund  and  Building  Association.  The  plan  was  that  nine 
of  my  fellow-workmen  v/ith  myself  should  form  an  asso- 
ciation for  saving  something  out  of  our  salaries  and  wages 
each  month,  and,  putting  these  savings  together,  should 
use  the  fund, — not  to  loan,  but  to  build  houses  for  rent 
and  for  holding  as  investment. 

At  $20.00  per  month  each,  the  ten  of  us  would  pay  into 
the  Association  $200  per  month.  With  this,  we  could 
.soon  have  built  a  house,  and  then  with  the  continued  pay- 
ments, and  the  rent  from  the  first  house,  we  could  soon 
have  built  another,  and  so  on.  We  thought  of  continu- 
ing this  process  of  pa}ments  and  also  the  use  of  rents  for 
building  for  a  period  of  10  years.  Then  we  proposed  to 
stop  payments  and  use  rents  for  dividends. 

Two  of  my  fellow-workmen  and  I  purchased  something 
like  30  lots,  having  in  view  turning  them  over  to  this 
Association. 

Just  l)efore  the  time  for  organization  of  this  little 
Savinj{;'s  Fund  and  Investment  Association,  I  was  appoin- 
ted master  machinist  of  a  large  works  out  west,  and  the 
plans  were  never  executed.  The  thirty  lots  are  yet  unde- 
veloped in  Bethlehem,  and  are  still  the  property  of  the 
two  of  us  who  survive  and  the  estate  of  our  third  partner 
who  has  passed  away. 

After  going  into  business  in  Charlotte,  N.  C,  on  my 
own  account,  I  worked  out  a  modification  of  the  same 
plan  lor  raising  capital  to  build  manufacturing  plants,  and 
published  it  in  the  -"slanufacturers  Record  of  Baltimore 
and  other  periodicals. 

This  plan  of  raising  or  accumulating  capital  has  been 
utilized  for  building  15  or  20  cotton  mills  in  the  South, 
principally  in  the  Carolinas. 


42  RAISING  CAPITAL. 

This  pamphlet  gives  a  synopsis  of  the  general  plan  as 
applied  to  bv.ilding  cotton  mills.  The  illustrations  exhibit 
some  of  the  mills  which  have  been  built  by  the  use  of  the 
plan. 

D.  A.  TOMPKINS. 

Charlotte.  N.  C,  June  loth,  1899. 

The  Pamphlet. 

There  are  in  successful  operation  in  the  southeast  a 
number  of  cotton  factories  built  by  money  raised  on  the 
installment  plan  as  the  payments  are  made  in  a  building 
and  loan  association.  The  writer  had  observed  that  in 
many  towns  there  was  a  strong  desire  amongst  the  people 
to  build  and  operate  a  cotton  factory,  but  conceived  it 
impossible  to  raise  the  capital  at  home  because,  as  a  rule, 
few  people  m  towns  or  small  cities  have  much  unemployed 
capital  It  was  further  observed  that  in  almost,  if  not 
quite  every  one  of  these  instances,  one  or  more  building 
and  loan  associations  were  in  operation  with  accumulated 
cash  in  excess  of  what  was  considered  impossible  to  raise 
for  the  construction  of  a  cotton  factory.  The  conclusion 
was  therefore  reached  that  if  a  plan  could  be  formulated 
by  which  acompany  could  be  organized  whose  capital  stock 
was  made  payable  in  the  shape  of  regular  weekly  or 
monthly  saving,  then  any  ordinary  community  could  raise 
the  money  to  build  a  factory. 

Following  out  this  line  of  thought  it  was  found  that 
with  shares  of  one  hundred  dollars  par  value  they  could  be 
paid  in  full  as  follows:  (i)  At  the  rate  of  one  dollar  per 
week  per  share  the  par  value  would  be  reached  in  a  little 
less  than  two  years.  (2)  At  the  rate  of  fifty  cents  per  week 
the  time  would  be  a  little  less  than  four  years.  (3)  At  the 
rate  of  twenty-five  cents  per  week  the  time  would  be  a 
little  less  than  eight  \ears.  All  of  these  plans  of  payments 
have  been  tried  at  Charlotte,  N.  C,  and  in  every  case  the 
result  h.'is  been  successful. 

The  plan  (2)  of  fifty  cents  per  week  per  share,  it  seems, 
is  the  most  popular  and  the  most  suitable  for  all  ordinary 
cases  and  places.  At  this  rate  the  following  would  be  the 
regular  payments  for  about  four  years: 


ill 

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9  -^-S:     ^ 


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33 


50c.p 

erwk  or  about  $     2.00  per  mo 

2.50 

10.00     " 

5.00 

20.00     " 

\2.s0 

50.00     " 

2^.00 

100.00     " 

RAISING  CAPITAL.  45 

On  I  share  ($  lOo) 
'■  5  shares  (  500) 
"10  shares  (  1000) 
"  25  shares  (  2500) 
"  50  shares  (  5000) 

In  organizing  a  company  each  subscriber  for  stock 
makes  the  payments  as  above  indicated  either  by  the 
week  or  month. 

On  the  basis  of  sul)Scriptions  aggregating  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  there  would  be  paid  into  the  company 
in  each  year  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  With 
this  amount  of  money  the  buildings  could  be  constructed 
and  paid  for  in  the  first  year.  Within  the  second  year  one- 
third  the  machinery  could  be  purchased  and  put  in  opera- 
tion. In  three  years  from  the  time  of  organization  it  would 
be  usually  possible  to  have  the  entire  plant  in  operation 
with  some  debt,  which  could  be  paid  off  as  the  install- 
ments were  paid  in  tlie  last  year. 

A  capital  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  will  build  a 
mill  of  about  five  thousand  spindles  and  two  hundred 
looms  which  would  furnish  work  for  about  one  hundred 
hands.  These  estimates  are  only  given  for  the  purpose  of 
conveying  the  most  general  idea.  There  are  infinite  con- 
ditions that  might  var}-  any  one  of  the  items  given,  and 
therefore  in  each  special  case  the  general  result  might  be 
different  according  to  tlie  cost  of  materials  and  the  kind 
of  product  desired  to  be  made. 

The  -ihistrations  and  general  data  are  taken  from  mills 
that  have  been  built  on  the  plan  herein  discussed. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  quickest  time  in  which 
the  capital  can  be  accumulated  is  the  best.  If  subscrip- 
tions can  be  procured  on  a  basis  of  two  dollars  a  week  per 
share,  thus  making  the  capital  payable  in  about  one  year, 
this  would  be  the  next  best  thing  to  having  the  money 
subscribed  subject  to  call  as  it  might  be  needed.  Next 
to  the  rate  of  two  dollars  per  week,  then  one  dollar  per 
week  would  be  desirable.  Then  follows  50c.  per  week  and 
25c.  per  week. 

The  last  named  rate,  while  it  has  been  proven  practi- 


44  RAISING  CAPITAL. 

cable  in  the  case  of  a  few  mills,  is  undesirable,  if  the 
subscriptions  can  possibly  be  got  to  50c.  per  week  or  more. 

The  plan  of  fifty  cents  per  week  has  been  the  most  pop- 
ular one,  and  it  has  in  all  cases  worked  well,  the  result 
having  been  dividend-paying  manufacturing  plants. 

The  completion  of  a  mill  may  always  be  hastened  beyond 
V  hat  could  be  done  with  the  ordinary  income,  by  borrow- 
ing money  to  complete  the  mill  at  once  and  then  paying 
this  money  back  as  it  is  paid  into  the  treasury  in  install- 
ments by  the  stockholders.  Wherever  this  has  been  done 
the  mill  company  has  commonly  made  notes  which  have 
been  made  secure  by  indorsement  of  the  directors.  For 
this  reason  it  is  desirable  to  have  a  board  of  directors  whose 
responsibility  is  well  known. 

Some  mills  have  been  built,  however,  simply  by  invest- 
ing the  money  as  it  came  from  the  members;  and  while 
this  is  somewhat  slow,  yet  when  the  mill  is  finished  and  in 
operation  it  is  usually  so  much  property  ahead  for  the 
stockholders,  for  it  frequently  represents  money  that 
would  not  have  been  accumulated  at  all  except  for  the 
obligation  of  the  stockholders  to  get  together  and  save  so 
much  money  each  week  or  month. 

By  the  means  of  this  plan  any  ordinary  town  has  within 
itself  the  resources  to  establish  a  cotton  factory.  And 
besides  establishing  a  factory  the  company  is  practically  a 
savings  institution  for  the  people.  Regular  and  systematic 
saving  is  probably  the  best  of  all  means  to  accumulate 
money  and  at  the  same  time  encourage  a  spirit  of  thrift 
and  co-operation  amongst  the  people  of  any  locality.  Any 
good  farmer  could  take  one  thousand  dollars  stock,  pay- 
ing two  hundred  and  fifty  out  of  each  crop  for  four  years. 

A  mill  built  on  this  plan,  when  once  finished  is  just  as 
good  property  for  the  stockholders  and  does  a  town  or  city 
just  as  much  good  as  if  it  had  been  built  with  money 
brought  from  elsev/here.  In  fact  it  is  more  advantageous 
as  its  construction  develops  a  latent  resource  out  of  which 
further  development  is  sure  to  come. 

The  preliminary  preparation  for  the  organization  of  such 
a  company  in  the  way  of  preparing  the  right  kind  of  char- 


•fl  E 


2  ™ 
IP- 

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r^  § 


31 

CfQ* 


o 


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O 


RAISING  CAPITAL.  45. 

ter,  by-laws  and  subscription  list  should  be  left  to  the 
engineer  selected  to  make  plans  and  guide  the  company  in 
the  conduct  of  its  affairs. 

It  is  very  important  for  a  company  of  inexperienced 
people  to  select  a  good  engineer  and  then  rely  upon  his 
knowledge,  skill  and  judgment.  Any  attempt  to  build  a 
mill  w^ithout  good  counsel  will  be  troublesome.  Advice 
picked  up  here  and  there,  free  of  charge,  is  worth  just  what 
it  costs,  viz.,  nothine,.  A  good  engineer  will  charge  a  good 
fair  price  and  will  handle  the  matter  just  as  a  good  lawyer 
would  a  lawsuit  or  as  a  physician  would  handle  a  case  of 
sickness.  There  are  numbers  of  good  engineers  in  the 
country  whose  records  for  successful  work  become  a  guar- 
antee for  the  success  of  whatever  they  undertake. 

In  order  to  give  an  idea  of  how  a  set  of  by-laws  might 
be  framed,  the  following:  draft  is  submitted: 

By-Laws. 

Section  i.  Stockholders  of  this  corporation  shall  be 
not  less  than  t went}' -one  years  old.  Minors  may  hold  stock 
by  trustees,  but  not  otherwise. 

Sec.  2.  Each  stockholder  must  subscribe  to  the  consti- 
tution and  subscription  contract,  and  put  down  opposite 
his  signature  the  number  of  shares  he  or  she  may  become 
bound  to  take. 

Sec.  3.     There  shall  be  an  annual  meeting  on 

of  each  year,  for  the  purpose  of  attending 

to  the  following  business: 

(i)     Hearing  report  of  officers. 

(2)  Election  of  Directors. 

(3)  Any  other  business. 

Sec.  4.  At  regular  and  special  meetings  of  stock- 
holders a  majority  of  the  stock  shall  constitute  a  quorum. 

Sec.  5.  Special  meetings  of  the  stockholders  may  be 
called  by  the  President  or  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  pro- 
vided that  ten  days  notice  is  given  by  publication  in  a  well 
circulated  newspaper,  and  notice  by  mail  sent  to  each 
stockholder. 

Sec.  6.  There  shall  be  a  board  of  five  directors  which 
shall  meet  monthlv.     These  shall  be  elected  at  the  first 


46  RAISING  CAPITAL. 

meeting  of  the  stockholders  for  a  period  to  extend  to  the 
time  fixed  for  holding  the  first  annual  meeting.  Then  a 
new  election  shall  be  held  for  a  board  to  serve  for  one  year, 
or  until  their  successors  are  elected. 

Sec.  7.  None  but  stockholders  shall  be  eligible  as  direc- 
tors. ^^'hen  a  vacancy  shall  occur  in  the  board,  the 
remaining  directors  may  elect  some  one  to  fill  the  vacancy 
till  the  next  regular  meeting. 

Sec.  8.  A  majority  of  the  board  of  directors  shall 
be  a  quorum  in  the  absence  of  the  President. 

Sec.  9.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  elect  officers 
and  shall  instruct  the  ofiticers  on  general  policies  of  the 
company.  All  actions  of  officers  shall  be  taken  subject  to 
the  approval  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  The  Board  shall 
have  the  books  of  the  company  examined  once  each  year, 
and  shall  have  monthly  meetings  at  which  the  President, 
Vice-President,  Secretary  and  Treasurer  shall  make  full 
reports.  The  Board  shall  also  be  authorized  to  make  a 
contract  with  a  competent  engineer  to  construct  or  direct 
construction  of  the  mill.  The  officers  shall  be  President, 
Vice-President,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  One  person 
may  hold  two  offices  but  not  more. 

Sec.  10.  The  duties  of  the  President  shall  be  as  fol- 
lows : 

(i)  Preside  at  all  meetings,  and  have  charge  of  the  mill 
and  its  management. 

(2)  x\ppoint  all  committees  not  otherwise  provided 
for. 

(3)  Take  and  keep  bonds  of  the  officers. 

(4)  Call  special  meetings  of  the  Board  when  he  thinks 
necessary. 

(5)  Employ  and  discharge  all  labor. 

The  Vice-President  shall  do  the  duties  of  President  in 
his  absence. 

Sec.  II.  The  Secretary  shall  keep  records  of  all  meet- 
ings, both  of  the  Board  and  Stockholders,  and  sign  the 
same,  and  exhibit  books  and  papers  and  condition  of  mill 
at  monthly  meetings. 

Sec.  12.     The  duties  of  the  Treasurer  shall  be  as  follows: 


X 


RAISING  CAPITAL.  47 

(i)  Collect  installments,  fines,  interest  and  other  dues 
from  stockholders,  and  receipt  for  same. 

(2)  Keep  an  account  with  each  stockholder. 

(3)  Sign  all  orders  directed  by  the  Board. 

(4)  Keep  all  books  except  minute  book. 

(5)  Keep  full  and  correct  books  of  the  company  and  its 
condition. 

(6)  He  shall  give  a  bond  as  may  be  required  by  the 
directors,  for  not  less  than  five  thousand  dollars. 

(7)  Open  an  account  with  a  bank  approved  by  the 
Board  and  deposit  therein  all  moneys  of  the  corporation. 

(8)  He  shall  exhibit  all  books  and  papers  when  called 
on  by  the  Board. 

(9)  He  shall  submit  weekly  and  monthly  statements  of 
the  company's  affairs,  also  a  full  report  each  six  months, 
and  also  at  any  other  lime  the  Board  may  demand. 

Sec.  13.  The  Board  shall  fill  all  vacancies  in  ofifice  for 
the  unexpired  term. 

Sec.  14.  The  Board  shall  appoint  a  committee  of  three 
at  least  ten  days  before  the  annual  meeting  to  examine  the 
books  and  other  affairs  of  the  corporation  and  make  report 
thereof,  which  report  shall  be  recorded  in  the  minutes  of 
the  company's  stockholders"  meetings. 

Sec.  15.  If  any  officer  neglects  his  duty,  commit  a 
breach  of  trust,  or  for  any  other  sufficient  cause,  he  may 
be  dismissed  by  the  President  or  the  Board. 

Sec.  16.  If  any  stockholder  shall  fail  for  five  consecu- 
tive periods  to  pay  his  weekly  or  monthly  installments, 
then  the  stock  of  such  delinquent  may  be  forfeited  by  the 
treasurer,  and  after  advertising  in  the  manner  required  by 
law  for  the  sale  of  personal  property  under  execution,  the 
same  shall  be  sold  at  public  auction  for  the  account  of  such 
delinquent,  and  on  the  basis  of  its  par  value.  There  shall 
be  deducted  from  the  bid  an  amount  sufficient  to  pay  bal- 
ance due  on  stock,  which  may  be  paid  in  installments  in 
the  regular  way;  then  there  shall  be  deducted  all  dues  to 
the  company  and  expenses  of  sale  incurred  by  the  com- 
pany, which  must  be  paid  by  the  purchaser  in  cash.  Then 
any  remaining  money  shall  be  paid  by  the  purchaser  to  the 


48  RAISING  CAPITAL,. 

delinquent.  Provided,  however,  that  the  forfeiture  and 
sale  of  stock  of  any  delinquent  shall  not  release  him  or  her 
from  the  original  subscription. 

Sec.  17.  Any  member  of  the  corporation  not  in  arrears^ 
and  holding  stock  m  his  own  right,  may  assign  and  transfer 
his  or  her  own  stock  to  any  person,  and  the  assignee  shall 
be  entitled  to  the  same  privileges,  and  subject  to  the  same 
penalties  and  liabilities  as  the  original  holder.  But  no 
assignment  or  transfer  shall  be  valid  unless  made  on  the 
books  of  the  corporation,  in  person,  or  by  a  duly  author- 
ized attorney,  provided,  however,  that  no  assignment  or 
transfer  of  stock  shall  relieve  the  assignor  of  her  or  his 
liabilities  as  an  oripinai  shareholder,  without  the  consent 
of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Sec.  18.  All  assignments  and  transfers  of  stock  must 
be  made  upon  the  books  of  the  corporation,  at  least  thirty 
(30)  days  before  each  annual  meeting,  in  order  to  entitle 
the  assignee  to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  original 
shareholder  at  such  annual  meeting. 

Sec.  19.  Any  person  desiring  to  subscribe  for  stock  at 
any  time  after  the  organization  of  the  corporation,  may 
become  a  shareholder  en  such  terms  and  conditions  as  the 
Board  of  Directors  may  prescribe. 

Sec.  20.  The  President,  except  as  otherwise  provided 
for,  shall  appoint  such  officers  and  employees  of  the  cor- 
poration, as  may  be  required  from  time  to  time  for  the 
prosecution  of  its  business,  and  fix  the  amount  of  compen- 
sation to  be  paid  them. 

Sec.  21.  No  proxy  shall  be  recognized  except  for  a 
specific  meeting. 

Sec.  22.     All  elections  of  officers  shall  be  held  by  ballot. 

Sec.  23.  Certificates  of  stock  shall  be  issued  when 
stockholders  shall  have  paid  their  installments  in  full.  All 
certificates  of  stock  shall  be  signed  by  the  President  and 
Secretary  of  the  Company,  with  the  seal  of  the  corporation 
affixed  thereto. 

Sec.  24.  Two  Directors  may  be  elected  by  the  Board 
to  serve  with  the  President  as  an  executive  committee  to 
act  on  all  matters  for  the  Board  in  the  interims  of  Board 


O   -o 


On 


ffi 


o 

3 


W  M 


&6  o 


tn    |_j 


^r^j^ 


RAISING  CAPITAL,.  49 

meetings — such  action  to  be  subject  to  approval  of  Board 
when  it  meets. 

Sec.  25.  The  books  of  the  Company  shall  be  examined 
once  each  year  by  a  professional  expert  book-keeper,  who 
shall  be  paid  by  the  Company. 

Sec.  26.     All  bonds  shall  be  stock  company  bonds. 

Sec.  2^.  All  salaries  of  officers  shall  be  fixed  before  the 
election  of  officers  who  draw  salaries. 

By  the  plan  herein  explained,  those  towns  in  which  the 
people  are  waiting  for  some  capitalist  to  come  and  to  build 
a  mill,  may  help  themselves  and  build  a  mill  without  out- 
side help.  Capital  naturally  seeks  investment  amongst 
people  who  have  themselves  exhibited  resource  and  capa- 
bility. When  a  cotton  mill  has  been  built  on  this  plan, 
the  result  is  not  only  a  manufacturing  plant  for  the  town, 
but  a  savings  institution  has  been  worked  out  in  the  man- 
ner of  raising  the  money  with  which  to  build  the  mill. 
Every  one  of  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  southeast  that  are 
now  well  known  as  manufacturing  places  built  their  first 
factory  out  of  native  resources  and  without  outside  help. 
As  a  result,  whenever  New  England  money  is  looking  for 
investment  it  is  likely  to  go  to  one  of  these  places  where 
success  has  already  been  demonstrated. 

In  one  or  tw^o  cases  another  feature  has  been  introduced, 
viz.:  subscribers  give  notes  for  the  amount  of  their  sub- 
scriptions. By  this  plan  the  company  has  the  notes  to  use 
for  collateral  in  case  of  borrowing  money,  and  if  the  notes 
are  made  interest-bearing,  then  the  burden  of  interest  falls 
on  the  subscribers  and  not  on  the  treasury  of  the  company. 
As  soon  as  the  mil?  ir  in  operation  the  matter  of  interest 
balances,  provided  the  profit  equals  or  exceeds  the  interest 
account.  If  the  stockholders  pay  the  interest,  then  the 
mill  ought  to  pay  a  dividenc'  from  the  time  it  starts  up. 
But,  if  the  mill  carries  any  interest  account  on  account  of 
any  unpaid  subscription.s.  then  the  stockholders  ought  not 
to  expect  any  dividend  until  the  stock  is  paid  in  full. 

The  factories  built  with  capital  raised  on  the  above  plan 
have  all  been  successful  and  are  now  doing  well. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

llnveetments,  Costs  an^  iProCits. 

In  order  to  answer  the  various  questions  naturally 
arising  concerning  the  kind  of  mill  to  build,  the  accom- 
panying investment  tables  (see  end  of  chapter)  have  been 
constructed,  giving  the  cost  of  cotton  mill  plants  of  vari- 
ous kinds  and  giving  in  minute  detail  the  results  of  opera- 
tions, to  show  what  expenses  and  profits  may  be  expected 
from  mills  of  dififerent  kinds  and  sizes. 

Periods  of  two  weeks  are  usually  taken  in  practice  to 
reckon  up  the  results  of  miU  operations.  This  plan  has 
been  followed  in  the  preparation  of  these  tables. 

All  oi  the  computations  are  made  more  with  a  view  to 
perspicuity  than  to  infinitessimal  accuracy  though  the 
accuracy  is  great  enough  in  each  case  to  give  the  correct 
final  result. 

Thci  total  pounds  are  carried  out  only  to  the  nearest 
lOO  pounds,  and  the  iotal  values  to  the  nearest  lo  dollars. 
For  example  15,500  pounds  of  cotton  at  6^  cents  would 
cost  $1007.50.  For  convenience  it  is  entered  in  the  table 
at  $1010.  which  is  sufficiently  accurate  for  the  purpose. 

For  convenience  in  discussing  the  subject,  three  sizes 
of  mills  are  discussed:  one  costing  $75,000,  one  $100,000, 
and  one  $175,000. 

The  cables  show  that  for  mills  designed  for  making 
single  yarns  $75,000  will  build  a  mill  with  3,000  to  4,500 
spindles,  according  to  the  number  of  yarn  it  is  desired  to 
spin.  A  mill  to  cost  $100,000  would  contain  4,200  to 
6,000  spindles  according  to  number  of  yarn.  A  mill  to 
cost  $175,000  would  contain  8,400  to  13,000  spindles 
according  to  number  of  yarn. 

This  price  includes  everything  complete  for  a  first  class 
modern  mjli,  built  according  to  latest  insurance  regula- 
•■ions.  containing  automatic  sprinklers,  fire  pumps,  hydrants 
r-id  hose,  electric  lights,  steam  heating  and  water  closets. 


INVESTMENTS,   COSTS   AND   PROFITS.  51 

It  includes  price  of  land  at  suburban  farm  prices,  water 
supply,  cotton  warehouse  and  houses  for  operatives.  The 
prices  on  which  all  the  tables  are  constructed,  both  for 
first  cost  and  for  operating  expenses,  are  based  on  current 
conditions  in  the  Cjroiinas. 

Basis  of  Tables. 

It  has  Oeen  abundantly  proven  by  experience  in  the 
Caroiinas  that  cotton  mills  on  every^  class  of  goods  man- 
ufactured there,  can  make  a  profit  of  lo  to  30  per  cent. 
This  has  been  done  by  the  smallest  as  well  as  the  largest 
mills  on  the  coarsest  and  the  finest  yarns,  single  as  well  as 
twisted;  and  on  the  heaviest  as  well  as  the  lightest  weight 
cloths;  and  on  dyed  and  undyed  yarns  and  cloths.  The 
variation  in  profit  between  10  and  30  per  cent,  is  caused 
by  variation  in  prices  of  cotton  and  of  manufactured 
goods,  and  also  by  variation  in  management.  This  last 
is  a  matter  of  human  judgment,  and  as  such,  is  the  most 
variable  factor  that  exists  in  any  business  in  any  part  of 
the  world  Taking  this  central  fact  as  a  basis,  the  tables 
are  constructed  to  show  the  detail  of  conditions  that 
must  exist  in  the  physical  operations  of  the  mill  in  order 
to  produce  the  limiting  results  of  10  and  30  per  cent. 
It  is  not  meant  by  this  that  mills  of  this  character  could 
not  by  bad  management  make  less  than  10  per  cent,  or  by 
good  management  and  favoring  circumstances,  make 
more  than  30  per  cent.  The  tables  show  the  hmits 
between  which  each  item  of  cost  may  vary  and  still,  with 
average  m?nagemeiit,  keep  the  profits  within  the  limits 
of  10  and  30  per  cent.  If  any  one  of  the  items  of  cost 
should  vary  beyond  the  limits  given  and  leave  all  other 
items  the  same,  the  profits  might  be  expected  to  go 
beyond  the  limits  of  :o  and  30  per  cent,  in  the  same  pro- 
portion. 

Size  of  nills. 

Referring  to  table  I  for  $75,000  investment,  it  will  be 
noticed  that  to  make  number  8  yarn,  (the  coarsest  given), 
the  mill  will  contain  only  3,000  spindles,  while  to  make 


52  INVESTMENTS,  COSTS  AND   PROFITS. 

number  30,  it  may  contain  4,500  spindles.  This  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  coarser  the  number  of  yarn  made  the 
greater  the  amount  of  cotton  that  may  be  consumed  per 
spindle.  Three  thousand  spindles  making  number  8  yarn 
will  consume  108  bales  of  cotton  in  two  weeks,  while4,5oo 
spindles  making  number  30  will  consume  only  31  bales  in 
the  same  time.  Therefore  in  the  number  8  mill,  the 
machinery  for  preparing  cotton  to  spin  must  be  capable 
of  working  much  more  (3^  times  as  much  in  this  case) 
than  for  the  number  30  mill,  and  hence  the  same  amount 
of  money  will  buy  a  complete  equipment  for  fewer  spin- 
dles on  number  8  than  on  number  30. 

The  iiiiil  for  number  20  is  intermediate  between  these 
numbers  and  may  coniain  4,000  spindles. 

First  Cost. 

From  the  column  marked  "cost  per  spindle,"  it  will  be 
seen  that  a  complete  number  8  mill  for  single  yarns  costs 
$25  per  spindle,  while  numbers  20  and  30  cost  $19  and  $17 
respectively.  The  floor  space  occupied  by  the  machinery 
is  about  the  same  for  the  equal  investment,  no  matter 
what  number  of  yarn  (within  a  medium  range)  is  to  be 
spun. 

For,  while  it  is  true  that  a  given  amount  of  money  will 
buy  for  fmer  numbers  more  spinning  machines  than  for 
coarser  numbers,  there  will  be  fewer  machines  required 
for  the  preliminary  processes  in  the  case  of  fine  numbers, 
and  thus  the  amount  of  floor  space  is  fairly  well  equalized. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  cost  per  spindle  in  each  case 
decreases  as  the  mills  grow  larger. 

It  is  abvays  desirable  to  build  a  small  mill  with  a  view 
to  increasing  it.  The  land  should  be  so  located  that  an 
extension  of  the  building  may  be  conveniently  made. 

It  is  sometimes  desirable  to  so  design  the  mill  that  the 
increase  may  be  made  with  the  least  possible  changing 
and  movmg  of  existing  machinery.  Mills  should  always 
be  designed  so  that  all  machinery  performing  the  same 
work  will  be  in  the  same  group.  That  is,  all  cards  should 
be  together  in  one  part  of  the  building,  and  all  spinning 
together  in  another  part. 


INVESTMENTS,   COSTS   AND   PROFITS.  53 

A  mill  is  usually  designed  for  pickers  in  one  end,  then 
cards,  then  drawing,  slubbing,  roving  and  spinning.  This 
throws  the  spinning  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  building 
from  the  pickers.  This  is  the  end  of  the  mill  that  is 
usually  extended.  If  a  mill  is  designed  without  regard  to 
future  extension,  there  will  be  just  room  enough  in  the 
card  department  to  accommodate  the  cards  for  imme- 
diate use.  If  the  spinning  end  of  building  be  extended, 
there  will  be  room  to  add  more  spinning,  and  keep  it  all 
together;  but,  unless  the  whole  arrangement  of  machinery 
is  remodeled,  any  additional  cards  must  be  put  apart  from 
the  nrst  lot. 

But  if  this  enlargement  is  provided  for  in  the  original 
design,  the  card  room  will  be  made  large  enough  to 
accommodate  card  room  machinery  for  the  prospective 
enlarg-ement.  Then,  at  the  time  of  the  enlargement,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  add  enough  to  the  building  to  accom- 
modate the  additional  spinning  alone.  In  the  above  dis- 
cussion, it  is  assumed  that  if  there  are  looms  in  the  mill, 
they  will  be  in  the  first  story,  while  cards  and  spinning  are 
in  the  second  story.  An  enlargement  on  the  above  lines 
would,  therefore,  enlarge  the  weave  room  below  at  the 
same  time  with  the  spinning  room  above. 

A  mill  for  enlarging  in  the  above  manner  requires  the 
building  to  be  a  little  larger  at  first  than  if  built  without 
this  provision.  It  is  best  to  instah  at  first  an  engine  large 
enough  for  the  ultimate  plant.  The  boilers  may  be  added 
when  needed.  The  electric  Hght  plant  should  be  large 
enough  at  first.  The  shafting  should  be  designed  to 
transmit  the  entire  power.  There  are  some  other  minor 
details  needing  attention,  none  of  which  are  very  expen- 
sive. 

To  properly  build  a  mill  with  a  view  to  doubling  its 
capacity  will  cost  about  7  per  cent,  more  at  the  start  than 
if  built  m  the  regular  way.  The  ultimate  equipment  will 
cost  less  than  if  no  provision  for  doubling  had  been  prima- 
rily made.  The  costs  of  the  mills  in  the  tables  are  com- 
puted in  the  regular  ^'  ay,  with  no  allowance  for  enlarging. 
If  the  mills  specified  as  costing  $100,000  are  to  be  built 


54  INVESTMENTS,   COSTS   AND  PROFITS. 

with  a  view  to  doublirg  their  capacity,  the  cost  would  be 
about  $107,000. 

Cost  of  Operation. 

For  purposes  of  discussing  maximum  and  minimum 
conditions  in  the  operation  of  mills  in  the  tables,  the  price 
of  cotton  in  each  case  is  assumed  at  a  lowest  and  highest 
price  per  pound,  w^ithin  the  limits  in  which  it  would 
probably  range  for  the  numbers  designated. 

For  number  8  yarn,  these  prices  are  assumed  in  all  cases 
to  range  from  5  to  5^  cents,  while  for  number  40,  they  are 
taken  from  5f  to  7.  Finer  numbers  require  a  better  grade 
of  cotton  than  coarser  numbers.  In  many  cases  number 
8  and  below  is  made  from  waste,  at  even  lower  figures 
than  in  the  table.  Likewise,  numbers  40  and  above  are 
frequently  made  from  benders,peelers  or  other  long  staple 
cotton,  at  even  higher  figures  than  in  the  table. 

The  highest  price  lor  product  is  figured  in  connection 
with  the  lowest  price  ior  cotton,  in  order  to  show  maxi- 
mum results,  while  the  lowest  price  for  product  is  figured 
with  highest  price  for  cotton  to  show  minimum  results. 
These  conditions  do  not,  in  practice  necessarily  fall 
together,  and  in  fact  rarely  do,  because  a  low  price  of  cot- 
ton (if  long  continued)  has  a  tendency  to  produce  a  low 
price  of  product.  Pjut  the  table  is  intended  to  show  the 
respective  results  under  the  best  and  under  the  worst  con- 
ditions likely  to  occur. 

Under  the  heading  "Cotton  Consumed,"  will  be  found 
a  colunii'  showing  co?,t  of  cotton  per  pound  of  goods  pro- 
duced These  figures  are  greater  than  cost  per  pound 
of  cotton  bought  on  account  of  the  waste  made  in  the 
process  of  manufacture.  The  goods  produced  weigh  less 
than  the  cotton  from  which  they  are  made  by  about  15 
per  cent.  There  is  considerable  variation  in  this  item  of 
waste,  and  some  differences  of  opinion  among  mill  mana- 
gers as  to  how  it  should  be  computed.  These  matters 
are  more  fully  discussed  in  another  chapter.  For  the 
present  purpose,  a  uniform  loss  of  15  per  cent,  is  allowed 
in  all  cases.    (The  amounts,  however,  tabulated  under  the 


INVESTMENTS,   COSTS  AND   PROFITS.  55 

head  ".i;;oods  produced'  are,  for  convenience,  computed 
only  to  ^ht  nearest  lOO  pounds.)  For  example,  cotton 
bought  at  5  cents  per  pound,  costs  5.88  cents  per  pound 
of  gooils. 

The  pay  of  operatives  rarely  varies  in  the  South  with 
the  price  of  goods,  so  that  in  the  table  the  amount  of  pay 
roll  (and  thus  the  libor  cost  per  pound  of  goods)  remains 
the  same  under  maxim.um  as  under  minimum  conditions. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  cost  of  labor  per  pound  is 
materially  less  for  the  coarser  than  for  the  finer  goods.  It 
is  also  very  slightly  less  for  larger  than  for  smaller  mills. 

Whatever  disadvantages  there  may  be,  in  the  way  of 
increased  cost  of  labor  and  other  expenses  in  a  small  mill, 
as  compared  with  a  large  one,  they  are  largely  offset  by 
the  advantage  resulting  from  the  closer  attention  to 
details  which  can  bo  given  by  the  management  in  small 
mills. 

The  number  of  operatives  remains  about  the  same  for 
the  same  investment,  w'ithin  the  range  of  numbers  shown: 
that  is,  40  operatives  can  run  a  mil!  with  6,000  spindles  on 
number  20  single  yarn?  or  6,500  on  number  40,  or  4.200 
on  number  8,  all  of  the  c'bove  sizes  being  $100,000  mills. 

The  column:  "all  other  expenses"  includes  salaries  01 
President,  Treasurer,  Superintendent  and  Bookkeeper, 
interest,  insurance,  taxes,  fuel,  oil,  supphes,  &c.  It  also 
includes  freight  on  goodsfrommilltomarket,  and  thecom- 
missior.  paid  to  the  selling  agent.  In  the  operation  of  the 
mill  there  are  some  sundry  items  of  income,  such  as  rent 
charged  on  operatives  cottages.  These  items  are  deduc- 
ted in  the  above  tables  from  the  sum  of  "all  other  expen- 
ses," and  only  the  net  amount  entered.  It  is  very  nearly 
the  same  under  maximum  as  under  minimum  conditions. 
The  slight  difiference  shown  is  mostly  due  to  the  selling 
commission  being  figured  in  per  cent,  on  the  value  of 
goods,  the  more  valuable  the  goods,  the  larger  the  total 
sum  paid  for  selling. 

The  'total  cost  ^n  m.ake  and  sell  goods,"  includes,  of 
course,    the    cost    of    the    raw    cotton.       As  this  cost  is 


56  IXA'ESTMENTS,    COSTS   AND   PROFITS. 

assumed  to  vary  between  maximum  and  minimum  condi- 
tions there  will  be  a  variation  in  total  cost. 

Profits. 

The  value  per  pound  of  goods  produced  is  made  to  vary 
in  the  tables  to  suit  the  original  proposition  of  making  a 
given  profit  per  annum.  From  the  profit  to  be  made  per 
annum,  is  computed  the  profit  necessary  to  be  made  in 
two  weeks.  This  two  weeks  profit  is  divided  by  the 
amouni  of  goods  produced,  to  find  profit  per  pound,  this 
profii  per  pound  is  added  to  the  cost  of  production,  and 
the  result  is  the  price  at  which  goods  must  be  sold  to 
realize  the  assumed  profits. 

Having  determined  the  price  at  which  goods  should  be 
sold,  a  coulmn  is  given  showing  the  difference  between 
this  and  the  price  of  the  raw  cotton.  Thus  it  is  seen  from 
Table  VTI  that  for  a  8175,000  mill  making  number  2C 
single  yarns,  to  make  vn  annual  profit  of  30  per  cent,  the 
difference  between  the  price  of  the  raw  material  used  and 
the  price  (delivered  to  the  markets)  of  goods  produced 
must  be  7.67  cents.  This  difference  might  be  made  up 
by  an  infinite  variation  in  the  prices  of  both  the  cotton 
and  the  finished  goods.  Cotton  might  be  5  cents  and 
finished  goods  12.67,  ^^^  cotton  6  cents  and  finished  goods 
13.67,  while  still  maintaining  the  same  dift'erence  of  7.67 
and  making  the  same  profit. 

Kind  of  Goods  to  Make. 

In  starting  a  new  mill,  the  question  is  always  asked 
what  is  tne  best  kind  of  goods  to  make.  A  common  mis- 
take is  to  consult  the  price  current  or  some  commission 
man  as  to  the  ruling  prices  of  various  goods,  and  imme- 
diatelv  decide  to  make  the  particular  kind  of  goods  which 
at  the  moment  seems  tc  be  the  highest,  or  which  seems 
to  show  the  greatest  profit.  This  is  not  a  proper  criterion. 
from  the  fact  that  the  ruling  price  is  always  based  on  the 
demand  ard  supply  for  the  moment. 

Again,  the  commission  man,  from  whom  advice  is  often 
asked  as  to  kind  of  ^roods  to  manufacture,  is  not  alwa^'S 


IN^'ESTMENTS,   COSTS   AND   PROFITS. 


57 


unbiased  in  his  opiniors.  He  is  apt  to  advise  a  new  miil 
to  go  to  work  on  the  particular  hne  of  goods  in  which  he 
is  a  spechHst. 

Existing  mills  keep  AVLtch  of  fluctuating  prices;  and  as 
soon  as  any  one  line  of  goods  shows  a  better  profit  than 
-another  they  proceed  to  make  that  Hne.  This  process 
keeps  any  one  line  from  remaining  continually  more  pro- 
fitable than  others.  Therefore  in  deciding  on  the  poHcy 
for  a  new  mill,  the  deciding  factor  must  be  something 
other  than  the  passing  fancy  of  the  market. 

In  deciding  upon  the  kind  of  goods  a  new  mill  should 
make,  probably  the  foremost  consideration  should  be  the 
kind  and  amount  of  labor  available.     In  New  England 
and  in  the  Philadelphia  district  the  skill  of  laborers  has 
reached  a  very  high  point.     This  skill  has  become  widely 
disseminated,  and  it  is  comparatively  easy  to  start  any 
hne  of  textile  manufacturing  in  those  localities,  with  the 
assurance  that  skilled  labor  will  be  immediately  available. 
Conditions  are  different  in  the  South.     While  the  South 
possesses  the  most  tractable  native  laborers  in  the  world, 
they  have  not  yet  ati-ained  the  variety  of  experience  and 
skill  possessed  by  those  in  the  North  and  East.     It  might 
be  said  that  a  new  mill  may  be  built  in  the  South  without 
regard  to  this  matter,    depending   upon   bringing   opera- 
tives from  the  skilled    districts.       But  to  induce  skilled 
operatives  to  leave  their  homes  and  present  emplovments 
for  a  new  district  to  work  in  a  new  mill,  the  success  of 
which  is  yet  unproved,  is  not  such  an  easy  matter.      A 
higher  price  must  always  be  paid  to  cause  the  move  to 
be  made.     Also  people  who  must  be  induced  to  move  are 
hard  to  manage;  and  v.dthout  regard  to  the  advanced  price, 
both  the  employer  and  the  employee  are  at  a  disadvan- 
tage: the  former  because  it  becomes  so  difficult  to  replace 
an  operative  when  discharged  or  incapacitated;  the  latter 
because  vdien  discharged    or    out    of    work,  he  is  so  far 
removed  from  occupc.tions  in  his  line. 

In  some  parts  of  the  South,  notably  in  the  Carolinas, 
there  has  developed  among  the  native'  population  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  skill  in  the   manufacture   of  medium 


58  INVESTMENTS,    COSTS   AND   PROFITS. 

grade  cotton  goods,  say  as  fine  as  is  usually  made  from 
number  40  yarn.  This  skill  is  cumulative  around  the 
textih  centres,  and  is  spreading  throughout  the  country, 
being  thinnest  at  the  edges  of  the  textile  districts.  The 
skill  is  constantly  growing  better,  until  finally  there  will 
be  a  considerable  amount  of  fine  specialties  manufactured 
in  the  South.  At  the  present  time  the  goods  known  as 
"specialties"  even  of  cotton,  such  as  lace  and  chenille 
curtains,  carpets,  fringes,  &c.,  are  not  manufactured  in 
the  South.  These  goods  make  a  profit  to  the  manufactu- 
rer mostly  by  reason  01  the  skill  in  manipulation.  Com- 
mon cotton  goods  make  the  profit  somewhat  by  reason 
of  the  skill  used  in  their  manufacture,  but  mostly  by  reason 
of  low  cost  of  the  raw  material.  This  fact  may  be  more 
easily  understood  by  studying  the  tables,  even  within  the 
narrow  hmits  given,  between  number  8  and  number  40. 

Those  entering  anew  the  manufacturing  field  should 
make  some  ordinary  numbers  of  yarn  for  warps  or  knit- 
ting, say  numbers  10  to  30;  or  if  cloth  is  wanted,  some 
plain  white  (or  "grey"  as  commercially  known,  as  against 
bleached  white)  ranging  from  2.85  to  4.50  yards  to  the 
pound;  or  plaids,  checks  and  ginghams  ranging  from  4 
yards  to  7  yards  to  the  pound. 

These  numbers  and  weights  are  well  within  the  reach 
of  new  beginners.  When  these  are  mastered,  other  and 
finer  goods  can  be  undertaken. 

Within  the  limits  named  above,  what  is  best  at  any  one 
time  varies  greatly.  At  any  particular  time  nothing  but 
the  advice  of  a  good  mill  engineer  could  determine  what 
is  best.  Any  of  the  counts  or  numbers  within  the  limits 
would  be  safe,  however,  and  a  toss  of  a  penny  might  deter- 
mine the  selection.  All  are  staple  goods,  and  any  one  at 
any  time  might  take  the  lead;  and  any  one  at  any  time 
might  be  behind.  The  relative  position  constantly 
changes,  what  is  hindmost  this  year  is  liable  to  be  fore- 
most next.  It  is  a  matter  of  varying  trade  and  no  one 
can  foretell  it.  All  staple  products  are  fairly  safe,  but 
have  their  good  and  bad  times. 

The  output  of  plain  staple  goods  is  a  naturally  increas- 


INVESTMENTS,    COSTS   AND   PROFITS.  59 

ing  quantoty,  by  reason  of  the  tendency  of  new  mills  to 
make  them.  This  tends  to  drive  those  who  are  more 
experienced  into  making  finer  goods.  The  natural  order 
of  things  is  for  the  new  manufacturer  to  make  plain 
goods,  and  the  older  ones  to  change  to  finer  goods. 

In  finer  goods  and  specialties  it  is  a  question  of  knowl- 
edge and  skill.  Whoever  goes  into  these  must  have  a 
good  superintendent,  know  his  man  and  be  sure  that  he 
understands  what  he  is  doing.  As  we  go  upwards  in 
manufacturing,  knowledge  and  skill  count  for  more,  and 
raw  material  for  less.  Therefore,  it  will  be  seen  that  as 
we  get  into  finer  goods,  we  are  more  and  more  in  compe- 
tition with  education,  knowledge  and  skill. 

In  these  fields,  we  lose  the  value  of  our  advantages  for 
the  present,  which  are  in  raw  materials,  cheap  labor  and 
long  hours. 

Much  of  the  promise  of  the  South  and  the  whole 
United  States,  for  that  matter,  is  in  export  trade.  For 
this  trade,  plain  goods  are  all  that  is  required.  In  this 
field,  our  natural  advantages  count  for  their  full  value. 

Analysis  of  flanufacturing  Cost. 

The  tables  show  that  the  cost  of  the  various  grades  of 
manufaciured  goods  is  made  up  in  about  the  following 
percentage. 

No.  8.     No.  20.     No.  40. 

Raw   Cotton    65  52  50 

Labor 15  33  35 

Other  Expenses    20  15  15 

Total    100  100  100 

From  the  above  showing,  it  would  appear  that  in  dis- 
tricts abo.mding  in  cheap  cottons,  but  wanting  in  skilled 
labor,  the  coarser  goods  should  be  manufactured.  This 
same  fact  is  more  forcibly  brought  out  by  examining  the 
tables  in  =:;till  another  way.  From  table  VII,  it  will  be  seen 
that  in  a  iiiill  costing  $175,000  making  single  yarns  num- 
ber 8,  a  difiference  between  raw  material  and  finished 
products  of  4.90  cents  lesults  in  a  profit  of  30  per  cent., 
while  a  difference  of  3.86  cents  results  in  a  profit  of  10  per 


60  INVESTMENTS,    COSTS   AND    PROFITS. 

cent.     A  iinctuation  of  1.04  cents  per  pound  makes  the 
difference  between  10  and  30  per  cent,  profit. 

Referring  now  to  the  number  40  mill  in  same  table,  it 
will  be  seen  that  a  difference  of  10.32  cents  per  pound 
makes  30  per  cent.,  while  a  difference  of  6.65  makes  10  per 
cent.  On  this  fine  work  it  requires  a  fluctuation  of  3.67 
cents  per  pound  to  make  the  difference  in  profit  that  a 
fluctuation  of  1.04  cents  made  on  coarser  work.  This  is 
even  more  apparent  if  we  compare  the  coarse  work  for 
single  yarns  in  table  VII  (that  requiring  theleast  skill)  with 
the  fi.ne  work,  making  cloth  in  table  IX  (that  requiring 
the  greatest  skill.)  Here  it  is  seen  that  it  requires  a  diff- 
erence of  7.76  cents  per  pound  to  fluctuate  the  profit  from 
30  to  10  per  cent,  whereas  1.04  cents  per  pound  makes  the 
same  fluctuation  in  profit  on  the  coarsest  work  and  the 
least  complicated  product. 

Influence  of  Price  of  Cotton. 

Again,  suppose  in  the  $175,000  mill,  making  number 
8  single  yarns  in  table  VII,  the  price  of  cotton  should  be 
doubled  under  the  ;;;o  per  cent,  conditions.  This  adds 
5.88  cents  per  pound  of  goods  to  the  expenses.  Since 
the  proHt  under  given  conditions  is  but  1.63  cents  per 
pound,  ii  follows  that  there  will  now  be  a  loss  of  4.25  cents 
per  pound.  This  figures  up  an  annual  loss  of  80  per  cent, 
instead  of  a  profit  o''  30  per  cent. 

Now  suppose  in  the  $175,000  mill,  making  cloth  from 
number  40  yarn,  in  Table  IX,  the  price  of  cotton  should 
be  doubled  under  the  30  per  cent,  conditions.  This  adds 
6.76  cents  per  pound  of  goods  to  the  expenses.  Since  the 
profit  under  the  given  conditions  is  10.29  cents  per  pound, 
the  profit  under  the  doubled  price  of  cotton  will  be  3.55 
cents  per  pound.  This  figures  up  an  annual  profit  of  a 
little  more  than  10  per  cent.  These  figures  show  that 
considering  the  prif.e  of  cotton  alone,  a  very  small  fluctu- 
ation makes  a  vast  difference  in  the  profits  in  working 
coarse  goods,  and  hence  it  is  only  profitable  to  make 
coarse  goods  where  cotton  may  be  bought  at  the  very 
lowest  pomt.     The  fisures  also  show  that  a  considerable 


INVESTMENTS,   COSTS   AND   PROFITS.  61 

advance  in  the  price  of  cotton  makes  comparatively  little 
difference  in  the  possible  profits  of  a  mill  on  fine  work. 
Hence  the  further  away  from  the  cotton  fields  the  mills 
are  built,  the  finer  the  goods  they  are  compelled  to  man- 
ufacture. 

Influence  of  Price  of  Labor. 

We  wi'1  now  take  up  the  question  of  labor  cost  in  the 
same  manner,  and  see  what  fluctuation  in  labor  cost  is 
necessary  to  bring  about  a  change  in  profit  from  30  per 
cent,  to  10  per  cent,  in  the  two  extremes  of  coarse  single 
yarns,  and  fine  cloth. 

Table  VII  shows  for  $175,000  mill  on  number  8  single 
yarns,  thpt  the  labor  cost  is  .54  cents  per  pound.  To 
make  a  profit  of  30  per  cent.,  the  table  shows  that  there 
must  be  a  profit  per  pound  of  goods  of  1.63  cents.  Now 
suppose  the  cost  of  labor  should  be  doubled,  the  profit 
would  then  be  .54  cf^iits  per  pound  less,  which  would  make 
the  profit  1.09  cents  per  pound  instead  of  1.63  cents.  But 
even  under  these  extraordinary  circumstances,  the  annual 
profit  figures  20  per  cent.,  which  only  takes  off  one  third 
of  the  original  profit. 

Now  refer  to  table  IX  for  $175,000  mill  weaving  fine 
cloth  from  number  40  yarns.  The  labor  cost  is  4.80  cents 
per  pound.  For  a  profit  of  30  per  cent,  there  must  be 
made  a  profit  of  10.29  cents  per  pound.  If  the  labor  cost 
should,  in  this  instance,  be  doubled  to  9.60  cents,  there 
would  remain  for  profit  5.49  cents  per  pound,  which 
figures  out  for  the  ye?r  11  per  cent.  This  takes  ofif  about 
two  third?  of  the  original  profit.  Thus  it  is  seen  that 
doubling  the  labor  cost  in  a  fine  goods  mill  affects  the 
profits  to  nearly  twice  the  extent  that  it  does  in  a  coarse 
goods  mill. 

Influence  of  Price  of  Fuel. 

Another  variable  factor  in  the  cost  of  cotton  manu- 
facture is  the  cost  of  fuel.  In  the  tables  the  fuel  cost  is, 
for  convenience,  included  in  the  column  "all  other  expen- 
ses."    Tliis  expense  varies  according  to  the  character  of 


62  INVESTMENTS,   COST'S  AND   PROFITS. 

the  steam  plant.  Small  mills  (5,000  spindles  and  less) 
usually  install  non-condensing  engines,  which  consume 
more  fuel  than  compound  condensing  engines.  The  latter 
is  the  kind  usually  installed  in  the  larger  mills.  All  of  the 
plants  covered  by  the  tables  are  computed  for  non-con- 
densing engines. 

The  cost  of  fuel  per  pound  of  goods  produced  varies 
greatly  with  the  kind  of  goods.  For  coarse  single 
yarns,  it  is  about  .25  cents  and  for  fine  cloth  about  .75 
cents.  This  is  counting  coal  at  $3.00  per  ton  deUvered  at 
the  mill.  In  order  to  observe  the  effect  of  a  change  in 
the  cost  of  coal  under  different  circumstances  compare 
number  8  single  yarns  made  in  $100,000  mill  in  table  TV 
with  cloth  woven  from  number  40  in  $100,000  mill  in 
table  VI.  For  30  per  cent,  in  the  former  case,  there  must 
be  a  profit  per  pound  of  1.86  cents.  If  the  cost  of  coal  is 
doubled  from  .25  to  .50  cents  per  pound  of  goods  (or  say 
from  $3.00  to  $6.00  per  ton)  this  profit  is  reduced  to  i.C: 
cents.  This  is  equivalent  to  an  annual  profit  of  26  per 
cent,  instead  of  30  per  cent,  or  a  reduction  of  four  thirti- 
eths. In  the  case  of  the  fine  goods,  the  table  shows  aprofit 
of  11.64  cents  per  pound.  If  the  cost  of  coal  is  doubled 
from  .75  cents  to  1.50  cents  per  pound  of  goods  (or  say 
from  $3.00  to  $6.00  per  ton)  the  profits  are  reduced  from 
11.76  to  II. 01  cents  per  pound.  This  is  equivalent  to  an 
annual  profit  of  28  per  cent,  instead  of  30  per  cent.,  or  a 
reduction  of  two  thirtieths.  Thus  a  variation  in  the  price 
of  coal  affects  the  profits  in  a  coarse  goods  mill  about 
twice  as  much  as  in  a  fine  goods  mill  but  not  to  a  great 
extent  in  either  case. 

In  the  chapter  on  Power,  it  is  shown  that  either  water 
or  steam  may  be  the  cheaper  power,  according  to  local 
conditions.  While  it  is  of  course  advantageous  to  take 
the  cheaper  of  the  two  in  any  special  case,  yet  the  above 
figures  show  that  the  cost  of  power,  as  usually  made  by 
steam,  is  but  a  small  percentage  of  the  cost  of  making 
goods. 

The  great  determining  factors  in  cost  are  raw  materials 
in  coarse  goods  and  labor  in  fine  goods. 


INVESTMENTS.  COSTS  AND   PROFITS.  63 


The  great  commotion  about  the  South  driving  New 
England  out  of  the  cotton  manufacturing  business  is 
illogical  as  well  as  unwise.  The  tables  show  that  for  fine 
goods  the  cost  of  raw  material  is  of  less  moment,  than  the 
cost  of  labor.  New  England  has  the  skilled  labor  for  fine 
goods.     The  South  has  raw  material  for  coarse  goods. 

The  foregoing  discussion  of  the  investment  tables  is 
but  a  small  part  of  what  might  be  written  on  them.  A 
careful  examination  of  each  item  in  its  relation  to  the 
others,  presents  much  food  for  thought. 

Summary. 

Below  is  a  summary  of  the  respective  effects  on  results 
of  the  items  of  raw  material,  labor  and  fuel. 

1.  In  a  mill  on  coarse  goods,  doubhng  the  price  of 
cotton  may  change  results  from  a  profit  of  30  per  cent,  to 
a  loss  01  So  per  cent.  Doubling  the  price  of  labor  mav 
reduce  the  profit  from  30  per  cent,  to  20  per  cent.  Doub- 
ling the  price  of  coa:  may  reduce  the  profit  from  30  per 
cent.  to  26  per  cent. 

2.  In  a  mill  on  fine  goods,  doubling  the  price  of  cotton 
may  reduce  the  profit  from  30  per  cent,  to  10  per  cent. 

Doubling  the  price  of  labor  may  reduce  the  profit  from 
30  per  cent,  to  11  par  cent.  Doubling  the  price  of  coal 
may  reduce  the  profit  from  30  per  cent,  to  28  per  cent. 

3.  \  anations  in  the  price  of  cotton  may  change  the 
profit  in  a  coarse  goods  mill  five  times  as  much  as  in  a 
fine  goods  mill. 

4-  Variation  in  the  price  of  labor  may  change  the 
profit  twice  as  much  in  a  fine  goods  mill  as  in  a  coarse 
goods  mill. 

5.  Variation  in  th^  price  of  fuel  may  change  the  profit 
twice  as  much  in  a  coarse  goods  mill  as  in  a  fine  gtiods 
mill. 


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Sq.  feet  Floor  Space. 


No.  of  Yam. 


No.  of  Spindles. 


Bales. 


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Price  per 
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No.  of  Yam. 


No.  of  Spindles. 


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g    I    8    I    §    I 


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4.29 


2.71 


2.71 


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Number. 


3.06 


3.16 


2.13 


2.15 


15.51   14.18 


11.71    11.01 


1.95 


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9.36     8.81 


19.59 


26.42 


14.12    18.24 


Total. 


Per  B) 
Goods. 


n  O 


Total. 


Per  1) 
Goods. 


10.10    11.03 


12.24 


2.41 


.23 


Pounds. 


Total. 


;i 


^     I      o 


I    s 


Per 
Goods 


Dif.  between  Cotton 
and  Finished  Goods, 


Per  ft 
Goods. 


Total. 


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6.00 


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4.00 


3.00 


3.10 


17.22   15.90 


2.15 


12.90 


6.16 


4.00 


2.20 


12.36 


6.46 


1.40 


1.97 


9.83 


1.40 


2.00 


9.28 


21.39 


4.17 


12.50 


15.17 


2.27 


19.17 


6.81 


10.61 


.78 


11.61 


2.33 


S    I    S    I    8    I    s 


Cost  of  Plant  per 
Spindle. 


Sq.  ieet  Floor  Space. 
No.  of  Yam. 


No.  of  Spindles. 


Bales. 


Pounds. 


Price  per 
Pound. 


Total. 


Per  ft 
Goods. 


Total. 


Per  ft  I  c 
Goods.  I  r 


Total. 


Per  ft 
Goods. 


Total. 


Per  ft 
Goods. 


B  Q 


Pounds. 


Total. 


Dif.  between  Cotton 
and  Finished  Goods 


Total. 


Per  ft 
Goods. 


Total. 


Per  ''ent. 


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4.80 


6.76 


4.80 


6.79 


3.10 


3.90     3. CO 


15.91   14.56 


2.00 


11.89 


6.31 


3.10 


2.05 


11.36 


6.46 


1.20 


1.87 


19.34  i24.85 


3.43    10.29 


13.83    17.13 


1.93 


.65 


I    S 


5.88 


1.20 


1.90 


.53     8 


10.18    10.92 


1.94 


Cost  of  Plant  per 
Spindle 


Sq.  teet  Floor  Space. 
No.  of  Yam. 


No.  of  Spindles. 


Bales. 


Pounds. 


Price  per 
Pound. 


Total. 


Per  !b 
Goods. 


Number. 


Total. 

Per  lb     o 
Goods.  I  ? 


Total. 


Per  ft> 
Goods. 


n  n 


Total. 


Per  lb 
Goods. 


Pounds. 


Total. 


Per  lb 
Goods 


Dif,  between  Cotton 
and  Finished  Goods 


Total. 


Per  B) 
Goods. 


ToUl. 


Per  cent. 


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TABLE  X.— SHOWING  THE  NUMBER   OF  BALES  OF  COTTON 

ANNUALLY  CONSUMED  BY  1,000  SPINDLES  ON 

DIFFERENT  YARN   NUMBERS. 


Yarn  Number. 

Bales  Cotton. 

Yarn  Number. 

Bales  Cotton. 

4 

1650 

20 

250 

6 

1 100 

25 

200 

8 

900 

30 

170 

10 

600 

3.5 

150 

12 

500 

40 

IIO 

14 

400 

45 

95 

16 

350 

50 

85 

18 

300 

60 

60 

CHAPTER  VII. 

©ooJ?[?eepina  an^  accounting. 

Bookkeeping  for  a  manufacturing  plant  is  a  much  more 
extended  subject  than  the  matter  of  bookkeeping  for  a 
mercantile  or  banking  business.  In  bookkeeping  for  a 
mercantile  or  banking  business  the  books  show  the  status 
of  the  Company  in  relation  to  each  of  its  customers. 
Periodic  balances  and  statements  and  inventories  are 
made  to  show  what  the  business  is  doing. 

In  manufacturing,  it  is  all  important  to  keep  another 
series  of  accounts  to  show  costs  of  production  and  costs  in 
each  department.  It  is  only  by  these  accounts  that  the 
skill  and  efificiency  of  operatives  may  be  measured.  It  is 
by  these  that  the  perfections  or  imperfections,  and. 
efficiency  and  inefTficiency  of  the  machinery  may  be  exactly 
located  and  known. 

From  the  regular  accounts  and  these  internal  accounts, 
statements  should  be  made  up  at  frequent  intervals,  show- 
ing the  profit  or  loss  for  the  interval,  showing  the  costs 
in  each  department,  the  production  in  each  department, 
costs  of  wages,  supplies,  fuel,  &c.,  &c.  With  such  state- 
ments accurately  and  fully  made,  the  management  may  be 
ICG,  or  even  i,ooo  miles  away  and  still  be  in  position  to 
give  intelligent  directions.  Without  them,  a  manage- 
ment might  live  in  a  mill  day  and  night  and  only  have  the 
most  approximate  idea  of  what  is  going  on,  except  in  a 
small  mill  where  the  entire  scope  of  the  work  and  results 
can  be  seen  at  one  time. 

It  is  assumed  that  ordinary  double  entry  bookkeeping 
is  well  understood  by  all  good  bookkeepers,  and  the  sub- 
ject of  the  ordinary  bookkeeping  for  a  cotton  mill  will  be 
discussed  on  this  basis,  with  suggestions  as  to  the  changes 
to  be  made  in  ordinary  methods,  to  make  them  conform 
to  the  requirements  of  manufacturing. 

The  commercial  part  of  the  bookkeeping  is  usually 
worked  in  periods  of  one  month,  regular  monthly  balances 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  75 

being  made  to  prove  the  accuracy  of  the  books,  and  show 
the  financial  condition  to  date. 

The  books  kept  to  show  data  relating  to  the  operation 
of  the  factory  are  no  part  of  the  commercial  accounts. 
These  are  made  up  from  daily  reports  from  the  different 
departments  of  the  mill.  From  the  data  kept  in  these 
books,  reports  are  made  up  at  regular  periods,  sometimes 
once  every  two  weeks,  sometimes  twice  a  month. 

Two  Series  of  Books. 

In  the  discussion  of  bookkeeping  and  accounting,  it 
must  be  kept  in  mind  that  there  are  two  different  series 
of  books:  (i)  those  to  record  and  exhibit  the  commer- 
cial affairs  of  the  company,  (2)  those  to  record  and 
exhibit  in  detail  the  results  of  the  mill  operation  and  its 
physical  condition. 

The  commercial  series  will  be  taken  up  first. 

Grouping  of  Accounts. 

The  principal  accounts  to  be  kept  on  the  ledger  are  as 
follows : 

(i.)  The  Investment  Group,  comprising  Real  Estate 
Buildings,  Machinery,  Construction,  Furniture  and  Fix- 
tures, Operatives  Houses,  Improvement  and  similar 
accounts,  representing  the  original  value  of  the  plant,  or 
additions  to  the  plant  which  increase  its  real  value. 

(2.)  The  Expense  Group,  comprising  Cotton,  Labor, 
Fuel,  Supplies,  Repairs,  Salary,  ]\Iill  Expense,  Office 
Expense,  Insurance,  Taxes,  and  similar  accounts,  repre- 
senting amounts  expended  for  carrying  on  the  business. 

(3.)  The  Representative  Group,  comprising  Capital 
Stock,  Cash,  Bills  Receivable,  Bills  Payable,  Deprecia- 
tion, Profit  and  Loss,  and  similaraccounts  representing  the 
financial  condition  of  the  company. 

(4.)  The  ^Manufacturing  Group,  comprising  Manufac- 
turing, Cloth,  Yarn,  Waste,  Rent,  and  similar  accounts 
representing  the  results  of  mill  operations. 

(5.)  Sundry  Group,  comprising  Personal  Accounts 
and  such  other  accounts  as  would  not  naturally  fall  into 
any  of  the  other  groups. 


76  BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

The  accounts  mentioned  are  all  familiar  to  ordinary 
bookkeeping  except  "Manufacturing."  This  is  an 
account  created  to  carry  from  month  to  month  the  actual 
proportion  of  all  the  expenses  incurred  for  the  month. 
From  daily  reports  and  estimates  made  by  the  superinten- 
dent, each  account  in  the  expense  group  is  credited  at  the 
end  of  the  month  with  the  amount  consumed  during  the 
month,  and  manufacturing  account  is  debited.  Thus  the 
balance  on  manufacturing  at  any  time  represents  all  the 
cost  of  producing  goods  from  the  beginning  of  the  fiscal 
year  to  date,  while  the  balances  on  the  accounts  in  expense 
group  stand  for  the  amount  of  the  various  supplies,  &c., 
not  consumed. 

Cotton  account,  and  all  product  accounts  should  have 
special  columns  ruled  in  the  ledger  to  carry  the  quantities 
(pounds,  yards,  &c.)  represented  by  the  values  in  the  reg- 
ular columns. 
Monthly  Statements. 

At  the  end  of  each  month,  after  the  transfers  to  manu- 
facturing account,  as  above  indicated,  there  should  be 
made  a  balance  sheet,  an  inventory  and  a  financial  state- 
ment. Form  A  shows  a  balance  sheet,  filled  out  for  the 
purpose  of  making  the  financial  statement.  (See  end  of 
chapter  for  the  form.) 

Form  B  is  the  inventory.  On  account  of  the  fact  that 
the  accounts  in  the  expense  group  now  represent  their 
own  inventory,  it  is  only  necessary  to  enter  in  this  inven- 
tory the  mill  products,  including  the  stock  in  process  of 
being  manufactured. 

Form  C  is  the  financial  statement,  made  up  from  the 
information  given  in  forms  A  and  B.  This  method  of 
showing  the  profit  and  loss  is  recommended  over  the  usual 
bank  statement  form  as  being  better  adapted  to  the  con- 
ditions in  a  manufacturing  plant. 

The  assets  constituting  the  permanent  investment  are 
grouped  together  and  shown  as  a  total.  The  other  assets 
consist  of  the  balances  unconsumed  on  each  of  the  expense 
accounts,  together  with  the  other  usual  book  assets  and 
the  inventory.  By  this  method,  the  assets  will  exceed  the 
liabilities  by  the  amount  of  the  total  profit  made  from  the 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  77 

beginning-  of  the  fiscal  year  up  to  date.  The  profit  made 
for  the  current  month  (say  $3936)  is  ascertained,  as  shown, 
by  deducting  from  the  total  profit  ($11,438)  the  profit 
which  was  made  from  the  beginning  of  the  fiscal  year  up 
to  the  end  of  the  previous  month  (assumed  to  be  $7,502.) 

Mill   Reports. 

In  addition  to  the  financial  statements  made  up  at  the 
end  of  each  month  from  the  commercial  books,  there  are 
other  statements  made  up  from  the  other  series  of  books 
at  regular  intervals,  generally  two  weeks  or  twice  a  month 
to  show  in  detail  the  operation  of  all  the  departments. 
These  statements  are  made  up  from  information  furnished 
by  the  superintendent,  and  are  independent  of  the  books. 
They  show  among  other  things  the  profit  or  loss  for  each 
period  and  form  a  check  on  the  results  obtained  from  the 
commercial  books. 

Blank  for  Yarn  Mill. 

Form  D  is  a  blank  for  this  purpose,  filled  out  with  imag- 
inary figures  to  show  the  operations  of  a  mill  making  yarn 
for  the  market.  Items  i  to  5  are  for  general  information 
as  to  the  production  of  the  mill,  as  compared  with  what  a 
mill  of  same  size  and  on  same  kind  of  work,  is  capable  of 
doing,  according  to  standard  production  tables.  This  mill 
is  supposed  to  be  running  day  time  only,  for  1 1  hours  per 
day  or  66  hours  per  week. 

Items  from  6  to  23  show  in  detail  the  cost  of  manufac- 
ture, separated  out  in  such  a  manner  that  the  labor  cost, 
and  all  the  other  costs  for  which  the  superintendent  is 
responsible,  are  distinct  from  the  fixed  charges  and  other 
matters  for  which  the  office  management  is  responsible. 
The  first  column  exhibits  the  total  cost  for  each  item,  and 
the  second  column  shows  the  cost  in  cents  per  pound  of 
product.  For  example,  the  cost  of  the  labor  in  picking 
and  carding  for  two  weeks  is  $170.00.  This  divided  by 
24,810,  the  pounds  of  yarn  produced,  gives  the  amount  in 
second  column,  .69  cents  per  pound.  Item  22  shows  the 
amount  of  cotton  used  and  its  cost  at  6  cents  per  pound. 
This  cost  is  $1710.00,  which  being  divided  by  yarn  produ- 


78  BCMDKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

ced  24,810  pounds  gives  6.92  cents  per  pound  of  product. 
This,  added  to  the  aggregate  of  the  other  costs,  gives  item 
23,  the  cost  of  the  goods  when  ready  to  leave  the  mill 
Items  24  to  33  show  the  estimated  worth  of  all  goods  pro- 
duced, after  allowing  for  the  freight,  selling  expenses, 
cash  discounts  and  other  sundries. 

Waste. 

The  amount  of  waste  shown  in  item  30  is  the  difference 
between  the  weight  of  cotton  used  and  the  weight  of  pro- 
duct made.  It  is  known  as  "total  waste,"  and  includes  the 
so  called  "visible"  and  "invisible"  waste.  In  item  31  the 
waste  is  expressed  as  a  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  raw 
cotton  used,  including  bagging  and  ties,  which  is  the 
weight  of  the  bales  as  they  are  paid  for. 

Visible  waste  is  the  amount  that  is  accounted  for  on 
the  superintendent's  reports.  It  is  the  saleable  waste. 
The  invisible  is  that  which  cannot  be  accounted  for.  It 
is  the  difference  between  total  waste  and  visible  waste.  It 
consists  of  sand  and  dust  and  moisture  which  may  dry  out 
of  the  cotton  while  being  worked.  The  waste  with  which 
the  management  of  the  mill  is  most  concerned  is  the  total. 
This  is  the  difference  between  the  weight  of  the  raw  mate- 
rial he  buys  and  the  weight  of  the  finished  products  he 
sells.  There  are  other  methods  of  figuring  the  percentage 
of  waste  in  which  the  value  of  waste  as  a  product  is  con- 
sidered as  reducing  the  percentage.  Therefore  in  making- 
comparisons  of  the  percentage  of  waste  made  by  different 
mills,  it  is  necessary  to  know  how  the  percentages  are  com- 
puted. 

Blank  for  Cloth  Mill. 

Form  E  is  a  blank  for  the  use  of  mills  making  cloth  only. 
Items  I  to  8  show  the  production  as  in  form  D,  and  shovv^ 
the  number  of  looms  running  on  the  various  kinds  of  cloths 
that  are  usually  made  in  this  particular  mill.  The 
remainder  of  the  blank  is  similar  in  all  respects  to  form  D. 

Blank  for  Mill  on  Cloth  and  Yarn. 

Form  F  is  a  blank  for  the  use  of  mills  making  both  cloth 
and  yarn.     It  is  similar  to  the  other  forms  except  as  to  the 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  .79 

method  of  showing  cost  per  pound.  The  first  column 
shows,  as  before,  the  total  cost  of  all  the  items.  Tiie 
second  column  shows  cost  per  pound  of  cloth  including  the 
cost  of  yarn  used  in  making  the  cloth,  and  the  third  col- 
umn the  cost  per  pound  of  yarn  made  for  sale  as  yarn. 
There  are  certain  items  of  cost  per  pound  which  belong 
equally  to  cloth  and  yarn,  as  for  example,  the  labor  in 
picking  and  carding.  This  is  $180.00  for  the  whole  pro- 
duct, both  cloth  and  yarn,  (24,000  pounds.)  Therefore 
the  cost  per  pound  of  this  item  is  the  same  for  both  cloth 
and  yarn,  namely,  .75  cents. 

The  cost  of  weaving,  $400,  must  be  borne  entirely  by 
the  cloth  account,  so  it  is  divided  by  18,000,  the  amount 
of  cloth  made.  This  gives  2.22  cents,  and  it  is  entered  in 
the  cloth  column.  The  cost  of  preparing  yarn  for  market, 
$25.00,  must  be  borne  entirely  by  the  yarn  account,  so  it 
is  divided  by  6,000,  the  amount  of  yarn  made  for  sale. 
This  gives  .42  cents,  and  it  is  entered  in  the  yarn  column. 
Items  20  to  27  are  assumed  to  be  borne  equally  by  cloth 
and  yarn,  and  this  assumption  is  near  enough  for  the  pur- 
pose, although  cloth  account  should  really  bear  a  greater 
proportion,  on  account  of  the  greater  number  of  pounds  of 
cloth  produced. 

Other  Forms. 

There  are  many  other  forms  in  which  these  mill  reports 
might  be  made  to  convey  the  information  required  in 
special  cases. 

Form  G  is  a  blank  now  in  use  by  a  large  yarn  mill 
making  a  great  variety  of  yarns.  This  blank  is  made  to 
give  full  information  as  to  the  amounts  of  each  different 
kind  of  yarn  produced.  It  also  makes  a  comparison 
between  the  current  work,  and  that  done  in  the  previous 
year. 

Form  H  is  the  left  hand  page  of  a  special  book  made  to 
record  the  data  given  on   superintendent's   daily   reports. 

Form  J.  is  the  right  hand  page  of  the  same  book,  facing 
form  H.  It  is  the  record  from  which  statements  may  be 
made  up,  answering  the  same  purpose  as  forms  D,  E,  F,  G. 

Any  of  the  foregoing  forms  may  be  printed  in  a  book, 


so  BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

or  may  be  printed  as  a  blank  for  a  report.  Or  it  may  be 
done  both  ways,  keeping  the  book  as  a  record,  and  sending 
out  the  blanks  to  various  individuals  interested.  Still 
another  way  is  to  have  blanks  printed  in  copying  ink,  and 
copy  them  in  a  special  letter  press  book  kept  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

Forms  K  and  L  are  the  left  and  right  hand  pages  of  a 
pay  roll  book.  It  differs  in  several  particulars  from  the 
ordinary  blank  time  book.  It  is  ruled  with  enough  verti- 
cal columns  for  two  weeks,  and  also  with  some  special  col- 
umns whose  uses  are  made  plain  by  the  headings.  The 
horizontal  lines  are  divided  in  two  parts  opposite  the 
name  of  each  operative,  one  for  a  record  of  time  made  by 
the  day,  and  the  other  for  time  made  by  the  piece.  This 
book  is  kept  in  the  ofiftce  and  is  written  up  from  the  small 
books  kept  by  the  overseers  of  the  different  departments. 
For  convenience  in  collecting  data  from  this  book,  to  shov/ 
costs,  the  names  of  operatives  in  each  department  are 
entered  in  separate  groups. 

Annual  Statements. 

At  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  the  books  should  be  closed, 
and  statements  made,  much  in  the  same  manner  as  at  the 
end  of  each  month,  though  there  are  some  important  addi- 
tions to  be  noted.  All  asset  accounts  should  be  examined 
to  see  that  the  property  represented  is  in  actual  existence 
and  in  possession  of  the  company.  The  balances  on 
expense  accounts  should  be  compared  with  actual  inven- 
tories, and  brought  into  accord  with  them.  Personal 
accounts  and  bills  receivable  should  be  examined  and 
scaled  to  allow  for  bad  debts,  if  any. 

Depreciation. 

Allowance  should  be  made  for  depreciation  on  the  plant. 

During  the  progress  of  the  business,  various  sums  of 
money  have  been  expended  in  keeping  the  machinery  and 
buildings  in  repair,  and  these  sums  have  been  absorbed  by 
the  manufacturing  account.  Thus  many  mills  consider 
that  the  question  of  depreciation  has  been  compensated 
for.     But  this  is  not  correct  from  two  standpoints,     (i) 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  81 

the  machinery  must,  in  the  nature  of  things,  finally  wear 
out  after  a  certain  number  of  years.       (2)     Whether  it 
wears  out  or  not  it  is  very  likely  to  grow  out  of  date.     In 
either  case,  it  is  not  an  asset  to  the  full  extent  of  its  first 
cost,  as  represented  on  the  ledger.     There  can  be  no  fixed 
rule  as  to  the  amount  of  this  depreciation.       It  depends 
upon  the  progress  of  the  times,  as  to  new  inventions,  and 
upon  the  general  care  given  to  the  property.     Some  per 
cent,  must  be  estimated  as  the  correct  amount,  and  this 
should  be  charged  against  profit  and  loss  each  year.     The 
question  arises  what  account  shall  be  credited  to  balance 
off  this  loss.     The  usual  course  is  to  credit  it  to  the  invest- 
ment accounts  on  which  the  per  cent  has  been  computed, 
with  the  idea  of  eventually  extinguishing  such  investment 
accounts.     But  this  is  not  a  correct  theory.     If  correct,  it 
would  give  the  appearance  that  the  purpose  of  the  man- 
agement is  to  go  out  of  business  and  throw  away  the  plant 
when  all  the  investment  accounts  are  extinguished. 

This  is  an  obviously  false  impression.     It  should  be  one 
of  the  first  principles  of  bookkeeping  to  show  clearly  the 
exact  facts  of  every  case,  even  if  it  forces  a  disregard  of  the 
traditions  of  bookkeeping.     As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  inten- 
tion of  the  mills  is  to  remain  in  business  and  keep  up  to 
date.     To  do  this,  they  buy  new  machinery  and  charge  it 
to  machinei-}^  account.    If  no  depreciation  is  being  charged 
off,  from  year  to  year,  the  machinery  account  will  con- 
tinue to  grow,  until  it  will  represent  an  investment  much 
larger  than  at  first,  while  the  capacity  of  the  mill  has  not 
really  been  increased  and  the  real  value  is  no  more  than  at 
first.     If  depreciation  has  been  allowed  for,  and  credited 
to  machinery  account,  this  of  course  will  tend  to  equalize 
matters.     But  the  trouble  with  this  method  is  that  there 
is  no  way  of  easily  ascertaining  from  the  ledger  just  how 
this  equalization  is  progressing.       In  the  meantime,  the 
capacity  of  the  mill  may  have  been  really  increased  by  the 
addition  of  new  machinery,    all    of  which   is   charged  to 
machiner}^  account,  rendering  it  hard  to  differentiate  such 
charges  from  those  made  against  the  allowance  for  depre- 
ciation. 


S2  BOOKKEEPING    AND    AGCOUNTING. 

To  remedy  these  difficulties,  and  put  the  subject  of 
accounting  for  depreciation  on  a  correct  and  standard 
basis,  the  Author  proposes  the  following  treatment: 

Open  an  account  called  "Depreciation,"  or  "Deprecia- 
tion Reserve."  At  the  end  of  each  year,  fix  upon  the 
proper  amount  that  should  be  allowed  for  depreciation  of 
the  entire  plant,  say  three  per  cent.  Charge  this  amount 
to  Profit  and  Loss  and  credit  it  to  Depreciation.  This  is  an 
account  created  to  hold  as  an  asset,  the  amounts  assumed 
to  be  sufficient  to  expend  on  the  plant  during  the  ensuing 
year  to  keep  the  plant  up  to  date.  Thereafter,  when 
expenditures  are  made  against  this  allowance,  they  are 
charged  to  Depreciation,  (instead  of  to  Machinery  or  to 
Buildings,  according  as  the  expenditure  is  on  the  one  or 
the  other).  This  gives  an  easy  way  to  see  at  a  glance  the 
progress  of  the  work  of  renewal,  and  to  know  when  the 
appropriation  for  new  work  has  been  exhausted. 

In  the  case  of  an  old  mill  wishing  tO'  begin  this  system  of 
accounting  for  depreciation,  the  amount  of  depreciation 
already  suffered  must  be  estimated  and  charged  to  Profit 
and  Loss,  and  credited  to  the  investment  accounts.  Then 
.an  additional  amount  must  be  set  apart,  say  3  per  cent., 
as  an  estimate  of  the  appropriation  needed  for  the  ensuing 
year.  This  latter  amount  is  treated  in  the  way  above  out- 
lined for  new  mills,  namely  charged  to  Profit  and  Loss  and 
•credited  to  Depreciation. 

There  will  always  be  some  trouble  in  accurately  estima- 
ting the  amount  to  be  set  aside  each  year  for  depreciation. 
In  fact  it  can  never  be  done  in  a  way  to  be  called  accurate. 
But  this  is  not  important.  The  important  thing  is  to  have 
some  regular  system  of  making  an  allowance  for  deprecic- 
tion.  As  time  goes  on,  it  may  be  seen  whether  the  allow- 
ance is  too  great  or  too  small.  One  way  of  estimating  it 
is  to  make  up  a  list  at  the  end  of  each  year  of  the  things 
that  will  probably  have  to  be  renewed  in  the  next  five 
years.  Then  take  one-fifth  of  this  as  the  amount  to  be 
set  aside  for  the  next  year.  Make  up  this  estimate  anew 
each  year  and  thus  correct  any  error  of  the  previous  year. 


BOOKKEEPIMG    AND    ACCOUXTING.  83 

Closing  Books  for  the  Year. 

Before  making  final  closure  of  the  books  for  the  year, 
each  product  account  should  be  credited  with  the  amount 
of  the  inventory  of  that  product  at  the  estimated  market 
value,  less  all  freights  and  other  expenses  which  would  be 
incurred  in  selling  it.  The  sum  total  of  the  inventon'.'S 
should  be  debited  to  an  account  called  "Inventory."  This 
is  merely  a  temporary  account  to  hold  the  inventories  as  an 
asset  until  the  books  are  re-opened  for  the  next  year.  (In 
re-opening,  each  product  is  charged  up  with  the  inventor}-- 
and  Inventory  account  credited  and  thus  closed.)  After 
the  product  accounts  are  thus  credited,  each  will  show  the 
amount  actually  produced,  whether  sold  or  not.  All  pro- 
duct accounts  and  all  expense  accounts  should  be  closed 
into  Profit  and  Loss,  and  the  difiference  between  the  two 
sides  of  this  account  will  be  equal  to  the  difference  be- 
tween the  totals  of  all  the  asset  accounts,  and  the  totals 
of  all  the  liability  accounts. 

Statement  Blanks. 

The  annual  statement  may  be  as  per  fornis  O,  P  and  Q. 
These  forms  are  especially  designed  to  exhibit  to  stock- 
holders all  details  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  Com- 
pany, and  the  profits  made,  and  the  disposition  of  the 
profits. 

Forms  O  and  P  are  filled  out  to  show  the  condition  of 
a  new  mill  after  the  first  year's  run.  The  money  expended 
on  plant  is  seen  in  this  case  to  be  more  than  the  capital 
stock  by  $21. GOO,  and  thus  it  is  in  debt.  The  net  profits 
for  the  year,  after  allowing  $5,000  for  depreciation  of 
plant  are  $40,960.00.  This  profit,  though,  is  not  all  in 
cash,  some  of  it  being  in  stock  on  hand,  and  some  in  the 
form  of  notes  and  accounts.  The  whole  available  cash 
might  be  applied  to  extinguishing  debts;  but  in  this  case, 
it  vras  decided  to  pay  10  per  cent,  in  dividends,  credit  up 
$13,460  to  a  reserve  for  paying  the  debt  on  the  plant,  and 
$5,000  to  a  reserve  for  working  capital  and  $5,000  to 
depreciation.  It  is  the  practice  of  some  mills  to  pass  to 
the  surplus  account  all  profits  not  required  for  dividends, 
but    this    statement    shows  a  more    rational    treatment. 


84  BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

because  in  reality  there  would  be  no  surplus  if  debts  were 
paid. 

Form  O  is  the  statement  usually  furnished  stockholders. 
The  inventory  form  P  should  be  attached  to  statements 
furnished  to  directors. 

The  inventory  exhibit,  of  each  item  carried  as  an  asset, 
is  important  to  show  the  values  upon  which  the  statement 
is  based.  Inventory  values  are  reached  by  adjusting  the 
book  values  to  the  current  market  values,  and  carrying 
the  differences  to  profit  and  loss  account.  Failure  to 
make  these  adjustments  might  lead  to  such  a  showing 
from  the  books  as  would  not  approximately  correspond 
with  the  true  condition,  thus  misleading  the  bookkeeper 
and  stockholders.  It  is  a  common  error  to  consign  goods 
and  charge  them  at  current  market  values;  then,  after 
holding  them  awhile,  sell  them  for  less  than  the  original 
book  valuation,  and  yet  not  make  any  correction  for  the 
differences.  The  continuation  of  this  practice  would 
bring  into  the  annual  statement  a  very  serious  error,  by 
carrying  as  an  asset  a  consignment  account  which  could 
never  be  converted  into  cash. 

Form  Q  (accompanied  by  an  inventory  similar  to  foim 
P)  is  an  annual  statement,  filled  out  to  show  the  condi- 
tion of  the  same  mill,  after  several  years  of  prosperous 
running. 

In  pursuance  of  the  plan  shown  on  form  O,  enough  of 
the  (so-called)  surplus  profits  have  been  appropriated  from 
year  to  year  to  extinguish  the  debt  on  the  plant,  and  there 
is  shown  as  a  special  liability  an  account  carrying  this 
amount  $21,000.  The  reserve  for  working  capital  has  also 
grown  from  year  to  year  out  of  the  surplus  profits,  until 
it  reached  $15,000  previous  to  the  year  represented  by 
form  Q.  Out  of  that  years  profits  $5,000  more  was 
appropriated  to  go  to  the  same  account. 

Depreciation  account  has  had  various  sums  credited  to 
it  from  year  to  year,  and  various  sums  charged  to 
it  for  money  expended  in  keeping  the  plant  up  to  date. 
There  still  remains  a  balance  to  its  credit  of  $4,800  for 
future  use.  In  addition  to  this,  an  allowance  of  $5,000 
has  been  made  out  of  the  current  years  profits. 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 


85 


After  all  of  these  matters  have  been  adjusted,  the 
remaining  profits,  after  paying  dividends,  have  been 
passed  up  from  year  to  year  to  surplus  account,  until  it 
has  grown  to  $40,000,  without  the  current  years  surplus 
of  $8,283.  ^ 

As  examples  of  other  forms  on  which  annual  state- 
ments may  be  made,  forms  R  and  S  are  exhibited.  These 
are  forms  selected  from  those  in  actual  use  in  operating 
mills  under  good  management. 

SURPl^US. 

It  is  seen  from  the  above  discussion  that  the  word 
"surplus"  is  made  to  indicate  the  money  that  could  be 
taken  out  of  the  business.  It  is  well  to  carry  a  fair  surplus 
fund  as  a  guarantee  for  dividends  in  event  the  mill  should 
have  one  or  two  bad  years. 

Stockholders  like,  and  ought  to  have,  dividends  at 
regular  periods,  the  semi-annual  plan  being  probably  pre- 
ferable. 

The  dividends  ought  to  be  regular  also  in  amount.  The 
management  of  a  company  should  adopt  sttch  a  plan  as  will 
equalize  one  year  with  another.  The  surplus  account 
is  the  reservoir  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  equaliza- 
tion. Money  is  put  into  a  manufacturing  plant  as  an 
investment  to  bring  regular  returns  in  the  shape  of  divi- 
dends. The  system  of  books  and  accounts  kept  by  a  com- 
pany should  provide,  as  outlined  in  the  foregoing,  for  a 
proper  depreciation  to  insure  the  maintenance  of  the 
property  to  its  full  efficiency  and  value,  and  also  a  surplus 
fund  to  carry  surplus  profits  of  good  years  for  paying  div- 
idends in  bad  years.  Then  the  stock  will  always  be  attrac- 
tive and  of  good  value. 

The  question  is  often  asked  why  the  stocks  of  companies 
paying  abnormally  large  dividends  at  irregular  intervals 
should  not  command  2  better  price  than  they  do.  The 
reason  is  that  no  provision  is  made  for  depreciation  nor 
for  any  assurance  of  regular  dividends. 


86  BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

Form  A.         MONTHLY  BALANCE  SHEET. 

Capital  Stock I20,00u. 

Real  Estate 2,300. 

Buildings 18,400. 

Operatives  Houses    12,100. 

Machinery 84,000. 

Furniture  and  Fixtures 98. 

Interest   610. 

Bills  Payable 40.410 

Bills  Receivable 475. 

Insurance  and  Taxes 682. 

Fuel   510. 

Supplies 3,1 18. 

Rent 1,10  ?. 

Waste 2,740. 

Cloth   60,476. 

Yarn 20,io^j. 

Cotton 38,917. 

Manufacturing 80,831. 

Unpaid  Wages 1,278. 

Consignment    19,893. 

Cash 1 1,804. 

Personal  Accounts i,iii.       28,740. 


274,849.     274,849. 


Form  B.  MONTHLY  INVENTORY. 

Stock  in  Process  (estimated)  5,000  lbs.  @  loc 500. 

Cloth  50,000  yards  @  4c 2,000. 

Yarn  32,000  lbs.  @  13.9c 4,448. 

Waste  60,000  lbs.  @  i^c 900. 

$7,848. 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  87 

Form  c.       MONTHLY  FINANCIAL  STATEMENT. 

ASSETS. 

Real  Estate $  2,300. 

Buildings 18,400. 

Operatives  Houses 12,100. 

Machinery 84,000. 

Furniture  and  Fixtures 98. 

Investment    11 6,898. 

Insurance  and  Taxes 682. 

Interest 610. 

Bills  Receivable 475. 

Fuel 510. 

Supplies 3,1 18. 

Cotton 38,917. 

Cash 11,804. 

Consignment 19,893. 

Personal  Accounts    i,iii. 

Inventory 7,848.       84,968. 

Total  Assets $201,866. 


LIABILITIES. 

Capital  Stock $120,000. 

Bills  Payable 40,410. 

Unpaid  Wages 1,278. 

Personal  Accounts 28,740. 


Total    Liabilities $190,428. 

Assets  exceed  Liabilities   (Total  profit  this  year 

to  date) $  1 1 ,438. 

Total  profit  shown  on  last  months  statement ....   $7,502. 


Profit  made  this  month  (difference) $3,936. 


88 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 


Form  D. — (Yarn.) 

MILL  REPORT  for  Two  Weeks  Ending  August  26ih,  1899. 


1  No.  days  run,  12;  No.  spindles  run,  4992;  Average  yarn.   No.   20. 

2  Yarn  Produced 24,810  lbs. 

3  Production  Table  requires 23,363  lbs. 

4  More  or  Less  than  Table  (more) i,447  lbs. 


7 

8 

9 

10 

II 


21 


22 
23 


24 

25 
26 

27 
28 

29 
30 
31 

32 
33 


ITEMIZED  COST. 


Picking  and  Carding 

Spinning 

Spooling  and  Twisting 

Warping,  &c.  (Preparing  for  market) 

Engineer,  Fireman,  Watchman,  Sundries. 


Total  Labor  Cost. 


13  Supplies 

14  Fuel 

15  Repairs  and  Mill  Expense. 


16    Total  Milling  Cost  (Including  labor.) 


17  Salaries 

18  Insurance  and  Taxes 

19  Interest 

20  Ofl&ce  Expense 


Total  Cost  to  Manufacture. 


Cotton  used,  56  bales;  28,500  lbs 
Total  Cost  of  Goods. 


6cts. 


Value  of  Output. 

Yarn  24,810  lbs.  @,  15c $3721.50 

Less  Freight  Est $125.00 

Less  Commission,  5  per  cent     186.00 
Less  Discount,  &c.  3  per  cent    iii.oo      422.00 
Net  Value  of  Yarn  del'd  and  sold 
Waste  made  3690 lbs.  est  6^  i^ 


(This  is  13  per  cent,  of  gross  wt.  of 
cotton.) 

Rents 

Total  Gross  Earnings 


299.50 
64.55 


50.00 


34  Net  Profit  for  two  weeks 

35  Equal  to  10  per  cent,  per  annum  on  |ioo,ooo 


AMOUNT. 


17000 
19000 
20000 
100  00 
5000 


71000 
5000 

15000 
5000 


960 
150 

75|oo 
100  00 

5000 


1335 
1710 


304500 


3414  05 


36905 


CTS. 
PER   LB. 

.69 

•77 
.81 
.40 
.20 

2.87 
.20 
.60 
.20 


3-87 
.60 
•30 
.40 
.20 


537 
6.92 

12  29 


13-77 
1.48 


MEMORANDA. 

Orders  now  on  book  for: 

40,000  lbs.  No.  18-2  yarn 

60,000  lbs.  No.  24-1  yarn 

lbs.  No    ...    yarn 

This  is  55  days  run  of  mill. 
Yarn  made  and  not  sold: 

10,000  lbs.  No.  16-2  consigned 

7,000  lbs.  No.  20-1  at  mill.     Have  refused  several  orders  for  24-1 
yarns  on  account  of  price. 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 
Form  E.— (Cloth.) 

MILL  REPORT  for  two  Weeks  Ending  Aug.  26th,  i5 


89 


1  No.  days  run,  12;  No.  Spindles  run,  5,408:  Average  Yarn,  No.  22. 

2  Cloth  Produced,  93,000  yds 23,000  lbs. 

3  Production  Table  for  Spinning  requires 22,714  lbs. 

4  More  or  more  than  Table  (more) 286  lbs. 

5  No.  looms  on 56x60,  4  yd 150;  actual  yds.  per  lb 4.04 

6  No.  looms  on 68x72,  4.75 actual  yds.  per  lb 

7  No   looms  on 44x56,  6.50 actual  yds.  per  lb 

8  No.  looms  running 150 


10 
n 
12 
i3 
14 
15 


28 
29 
30 

31 
32 
33 
34 

35 
36 
37 
38 

39 


Itemized  Cost. 


Picking  and  Carding 

Spinning  

Spooling  and  Warping 

Slashing  and  Drawing  in 

Weaving  and  Cloth  Room 

Engineer,  Fireman,  Watchman,  Sundries. 


16        Total  Labor  Cost 


17  Supplies    

18  Fuel 

19  Repairs  and  Mill  Expense. 

20  Total  Milling  Cost  (including  labor) . 
21 
22 
23 

24 


AMOUNT. 


17000 
19000 

5000 

40 
500 

50 


Salaries 

Insurance  and  Taxes. 

Interest 

Office  Expense 


25       Total  Cost  to  Manufacture. 


26    Cotton  used,  58  bales;  27,000  lbs.  @  6  cts. 


27        Total  Cost  of  Goods. 


Value  of  Output 

Cloth,  93,000  yds.  @  4K 4185  00 

Cloth, yds.  @ 


1000 

100 

150 

75 


132500 

150 

100 

150 

50 


1775 
1620 


4185.00 

Less  Frt.  Est I125  00. 

Less  Commission,  4  per  cent.    167.00. 
Less  Discounts,  &c.  3  percent    125.00.  417.00 
Net  value  of  cloth  delivered  and  sold  $3768.00' 
Waste  made,  4000  lbs.  Est.  @.  13/. . .        70.00 
(This  is  15  per  cent,  of  gross  wt.  of  cotton. ) 

Rents 70.00 

Total  Gross  Earnings 


339500 


40  Net  Profit  for  two  weeks 

41  Equal  to  13  per  cent,  per  annum  on  iioo.ooo' 


390800 


51300 


CTS. 
PER  LB. 


•74 
.83 
.21 

•17 

2.18 

.22 

4,35 
.44 
.65 
•33 


5-77 
•65 
•  44 
•65 


7.72 
7-05 


14-77 


17.00 


2  23 


90  BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

(Form  E  Continued.) 

MEMORANDA. 

Orders  now  on  book  for: 

200,000  yds    . .    4  yd.  goods. 

yds  ....  4.75  goods. 

140,000  yds 6.50  goods. 


This  is  50  days  run  of  mill. 


Goods  made  and  not  sold: 
250,000  yds  consigned. 
(50,000  of  this  for  export.) 


10,000  yds.  at  mill, 
(most  of  this  is  seconds.) 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 


91 


Form  F.— (Cloth  and  Yarn.) 

MILL  REPORT  for  Two  Weeks  Ending  Aug.  26,  1899. 


1  No.  days  run,  12;  No    Spindles  run,  6656;  Average  Yarn  No.  24. 

2  Cloth  Produced,  78,200  yds 18,000  lbs> 

3  Yarn  Produced  for  Market 6,000  lbs. 

4  Total  Yarn  spun 24,000  lbs, 

5  Production  Table  for  Spinning  requires 23,960  lbs. 

6  More  or  less  than  table  (more) 40  lbs. 

7  No.  Looms  on  56x60,  4  yd.  100;  actual  yds.  per  lb 4.02 

8  No.  Looms  on  56x40,  5  yd.    50;  actual  yds.  per  lb 4.98 

9  No.  Looms  on  64x64,  6.60  yd. . . ;  actual  yds.  per  lb 

10     No  Looms  running 150. . 


12 
13 
14 
15 
16 

17 
18 

19 


23 


24 
25 
26 

27 


ITEMIZED  COST 


Picking  and  Carding 

Spinning 

Spooling  and  Warping  for  Weaving. . . 

Slashing  and  Drawing-in 

Weaving  and  Cloth  Room 

Preparing  Yarn  for  Market   

Engineer,  fireman,  watchman,  sundries 


Total  Labor  Cost 


20  Supplies 

21  Fuel 

22  Mill  Expense. 


Total,    Mii^ling    Cost    (including 
labor) 


Salaries 

Insurance  and  Taxes 

Interest  

OflSce  Expense 


28       Total  Cost  to  Manufacture. 


29  Cotton  used  56 bales;  28,500  lbs.  @  6  cts. 

30  Total  Cost  of  Goods 


AMOUNT 


180 

200 

40 

40 

400 

25 
50 


93500 

12500 

14000 

6500 


126500 
15000 

loo'oo 

15000 

5000 


I7I500 

I7IOOO 


3425CX) 


CTS.  PER  LB. 


CLOTH  lYARN 


•75 
•83 
.22 
.22 
2.22 

.21 


4-45 
■52 
•58 
.27 


5-82 
.62 
•  42 
.62 
.21 


7.69 
7-13 


14.82 


•75 
•83 


■  42 
.21 


2.21 

•52 
•58 
•27 


3^58 
.62 
.42 
.62 
.21 


5-45 
7  13 


12.5& 


92 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 


(Form  F  Continued.) 

Value  of  Output. 

31  Cloth,  50,000  yds.  @.  4j4c $2250.00 

32  Cloth,  28,200  yds.  @  4c 1128.00 

33  Yarn,  6,000  lbs.  @  15c 900.00 

34 

$4278.00 

35  Less  Freight  Est $125 

36  Less  Commission  5  per  cent  214 

37  Less  Discount  &c,  3  per  cent  128  467.00 

38  Net  value  of  goods  del'd  and  sold38ii.oo 

39  Waste  made,  4500  lbs.  Est®  1 14'     79.00 

40  (This  is  15.8  per  cent,  of  gross 

wt.  of  cotton) 

41  Rents 70.00 

42  Total  Gross  Earnings 

43  Net  Profit  two  weeks 

44  Equal  to  II  per  cent,  per  annum  on 

$125,000. 


3960 
535 


MEMORANDA. 

Orders  now  on  books  for: 

yds 4  yd.  goods. 

yds 4.75  goods. 

100,000  yds 6.60  goods. 

lbs.  No.  . .  yarn. 

10,000  lbs.  No.  20  yarn. 
This  is  18  days  run  of  mill. 


Goods  made  and  not  sold: 
400,000  yds.  consigned. 


50,coo   yds.  at  mill. 


15,000  lbs.  yarn  consigned. 


10,000  lbs.  yarn  at  mill. 


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BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  95 

Tform  H.— (Left  Hand  Page  of  Book.) 

Superintendent's  Report  for  Month  Ending 189. . 

Working  Days. 


carding. 


WEIGHTS 


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Total  Pounds 


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(Form  H  Continued.) 


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Spinning  Room 

Weaving  Room 

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Cloth  Room 

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Total  Pounds  Waste 

Actual  Percentage  Waste . . 
Cloth  Percentage  Seconds. 
Remarks   


Superintendent. 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 
Form  J.— (Right  Hand  Page  of  Book.) 

Mill  Return  for  Month  Ending 189. 

Working  Days. 


97 


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ITEMIZED  COST. 


Labor 

Amount 

Per  Pound 

Per  Yard 

Carding 

Spinning 

Spooling  and  Warping  . . . 

Dressing  and  Drawing  in. 

W^eaving ... 

Cloth 

Total  in  above  depts 

Engines  and  Boilers 

Repairs 

Yard  and  Watch 

Total  Labor 

SUNDRIES 

Supplies 

Starch 

Sizing 

Oil 

Fuel 

Insurance 

Taxes 

Expense 

Salaries 

Total  Sundries 

COTTON 

Goods lbs 

- 

Waste lbs per  ct 

Total lbs.  @ 

Total  Cotton  and  Waste. . 

Total  Cost 

2 

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100  BOOKKEiEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

Form  O.  ANNUAL  STATEMENT. 

ASSETS. 

Value  of  Plant 1196,000.00 

Product  on  Hand 2.820.00 

Stock  in  Process ■  10,000.00 

Cotton  on  Hand 3,036.00 

Supplies 1,167.00 

Fuel 1,525-00 

Bills  Receivable   1,610.00 

Accounts  Receivable  (scaled) 8,169.00 

Selling  Agents 6,200.00 

Cash  15,106.00 

Other  Assets 1,14300 

$246,776.00 

IvIABILITIES. 

Capital  Stock 175,000.00 

Previous  Profits  Expended  in  Plant  over  and 
above  capital  Subscribed 

Previous  Profits  Appropriated  for  Working  Cap- 
ital  

Previous  Profits  Appropriated  for  Depreciation .  . 

Previous  Profits  Carried  to  Surplus 

Bills  Payable ■ |30,ooo.oo 

Accounts  Payable 816.00 

Profits  for  This  Year  (23.4  per  cent.) 40,960.00 

1246,776.00 
Disposition  of  Profits  for  this  year. 

Dividends  10  per  cent |i7, 500.00 

Passed  to  Value  of  Plant 13,460.00 

Passed  to  Working  Capital 5,000.00 

Passed  to  Depreciation 5,000.00 

Passed  to  Surplus 

140,960.00 

Note.— Each  item  of  this  statement  is  based  upon  actual  values 
determined  by  inventories. 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  101 

Form  P. 

INVENTORY  ACCOMPANYING  ANNUAL  STATEMENT. 

Value  of  Plant. 

Real  Estate $     2,000.00 

Buildings 18,000.00 

Operatives  Houses 10,000.00 

Machinery 165,000  00 

Furniture  and  Fixtures 1,000.00 


$196,000.00 

Product  on  Hand. 

40,000  yds.       4     yd.  Cloth  @  4>^ $1,800.00 

10,000  yds.       3     yd.  Cloth  @  5 500.00 


2,oco  lbs.    No.  24  Yarn  @  16 320.00 

•'      @      

10,000  "  Waste  @  2 200  00 

12,820.00 

Stock  in  Process. 

100,000  lbs.  @  10  cts.    est f  10,000.00 

Cotton. 

100  Bales,  50,600  lbs.  @  avge  6  cts $3,036.00 

Supplies. 

50  Gallons   Oil $  15.00 

Surplus  Spools  and  Bobbins 200.00 

lbs.  Surplus  Belting  @ 42.00 

2©, 000  lbs.  Starch  @.  2 400.00 

10,000  yds.  Burlaps  @,  4. 400.00 


Other  Surplus  Supplies 110.00 


$1,167.00 


Fuel. 


200  Tons  Coal  @  3.25 $650.00 

500  Cords  Wood  (gj.  1.75 875.00 

$1,525.00 
JBiLLS  Receivable 


$1,610.00 


102  BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

(Form  P  Continued.) 
Accounts  Receivabi^b. 


8,410.00 

Less  Bad  Accounts 241.00 

18,169.00 
Selling  Agents. 


$0,200.00 
Other  Assets. 

Unexpired  Insurance  and  Taxes I127.00 

Unexpired  Interest  42.00 

Horses  and  Wagons 974.00 


11,143.00 
Bills  Payable. 


130,000,00 
Accounts  Payable. 


h6.oo 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  103 

Form  Q.  ANNUAL  STATEMENT. 

ASSETS. 

•Value  of  Plant 1196,000.00 

Product  on  Hand 5,000.00 

Stock  in  Process 10,000  00 

Cotton  on  Hand 6,000.00 

Supplies 1,400.00 

Fuel 3,000.00 

Bills  Receivable 3,000.00 

Accounts  Receivable 10,000.00 

Selling  Agents 15,000.00 

Cash 40,000.00 

Other  Assets 2,600.00 

1292,000.00 
I<IABII,ITIES. 

Capital  Stock $175,000.00 

Previous  Profits  Expended  in   Plant  over  and 

above  Capital  Subscribed  21,000.00 

Previous  Profits  Appropriated  for  Working  Cap- 
ital        15,000.00 

Previous  Profits  Appropriated  for  Depreciation 

(Balance  not  Expended.) 4,800  00 

Previous  Profits  Carried  to  Surplus 40,000  00 

Bills  Payable 

Accounts  Payable 417.00 

Profits  for  This  Year  (20.4  per  cent.) 35.783.00 

1292,000.00 
Disposition  of  Profits  for  this  year. 

Dividends    10  per  cent |i7, 500.00 

Passed  to  Value  of  Plant 

Passed  to  "W  orking  Capital 5,000.00 

Passed  to  Depreciation 5,000.00 

Passed  to  Surplus 8,283.00 

135,783.00 

Previous  Surplus  |4o,ooo.oo 

Surplus  Made  this  Year 8,283.00 

Total  Available  Surplus $48,283.00 

Note. — Each  item  of  this  statement  is  based  upon  actual  market 
values  determined  by  inventories. 


104  BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

Form  R.  ANNUAL  STATEMENT. 

STATEMENT  OF  PROFIT  AND  LOSS  ACCOUNT. 

Profits  from  all  sources,  viz: 

New  York  sales | 

Local  Sales 

Waste  Sales ... 

Fuel  to  Emploj-es 

Rents 

Net  Profits  from  Store 

Any  other  Profit  Accounts 


Total  gross  profits  for  3-ear..  . . 
From  which  deduct 

Interest $ 

Repairs 

Total $ 

Less  Dividends,  &c 


Bal.  net  profits  for  year $ 

At  credit  of  profit  and  loss  acc't  last  yr .  . 

Total  netpfts,  nowatcrdtof  p.  &l.acc't.|; 


STATEMENT  OF  THE  FINANCIAL  CONDITION. 

ASSETS. 

Real  Estate $ 

Construction 

Machinery 

Office  Furniture  and  Fixtures 

Teams 

Supplies 

Sundry  Accounts  Receivable 

Cash 

Cotton 

Waste 

Manufacturing — Stock  in  Process 

Goods  on  hand  in  cloth  room  not  baled 
Inventory  of  New  York  consignments. . 
Any  other  Assets 

Total « 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  105 

(Form  R  Continued.) 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  Stock  paid  in $ 

Bills  Payable 

Selling  Agent  acc't.  cur'nt 

Sundry  Accounts  Payable 

Wages— last  half  of  this  month 
Bal.  at  credit  of  profit  &  loss  acct 

Total « 


-STATEMENT    OF     EXPENDITURES    ON    ACCOUNT    OF    THE 
EXTENSION  TO  PLANT. 

For  Construction I 

For  Machinery 

For  any  other  part  of  Plant 

Total ^ 

STATEMENT   OF    OUTSTANDING     LIABILITIES   AND   QUICK 

ASSETS. 
Total  outstanding  liabilities,  not  including  capital  and  profits.^ 
Total  available  quick  assets,  not  including  the  plant 

Balance,  debt  on  plant 4 


106  BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING. 

Forms.  ANNUAL  STATEMENT. 

FOR  YEAR  ENDING  DECEMBER  3I,  1898. 

By  Manufactured  Goods  (sold  and  on  hand) $ 

By  Collected  for  Rents 

By  Sale  of  Waste 

By  Sale  of  Bagging  and  Ties 


1613,162  55 

DR. 

Paid  for  Cotton $ 

Paid  for  Labor 

Paid  Interest 

Paid  Discount  on  Goods 

Paid  Freight  and  Drayage 

Paid  Sundry  Supplies 

Paid  Salaries 

Paid  Taxes 

Paid  Insurance 

Paid  Water  Rent 

Paid  for  Coal 

Paid  for  Starch 

Paid  for  Oils 

Paid  for  Expense 

Paid  for  Repairs 

Paid  for  Wood 

Paid  for  Stationery 

Paid  for  Live  Stock,  Carts,  etc 

1541,764  42 


Net  Earnings  for  the  year $  71,398  13 

Deduct  Non-collectible  Accounts 1,021  79 


Net  Profit  for  year  ending  December  31,  1898  70,376  34 

Add  to  credit  Profit  and  Loss,  January  i,  1898 88,960  24 


$159,336  58 
Less  amount  January  and  July  Dividends 77)032  00 


To  Credit  Profit  and  Loss,  January  i,  1899 $82,304  58 


BOOKKEEPING    AND    ACCOUNTING.  107 

(Form  S  Continued.) 

CONVERTIBLE  ASSETS. 

Supplies,  Wood,  Starch,  Oils,  etc | 

Coal 

Open  Accounts  (all  good) 

Cotton— 1,659  bales,  789,684  lbs  

Cotton  in  process 

Live  Stock,  Carts,  etc 

Cash 

Baled  Goods,  632,197  yards 

Bills  Receivable $245,935  07 

LIABILITIES. 

Wood  Tickets 4 

Bills  Payable .!..!...". 

Railroad  Fare 

Personal  Accounts 

Labor  and  Salary  accrued 

$  74,241  50 

Commercial  Capital 1171,693  57 

Commercial  Capital  January  i | 

From  Sale  of  Stock 

Profit  for  year  ending  December  31,  1S98 

1248,725  57 
Less  January  and  July  Dividends 77,032  00 

$171,693  57 

BALANCE  SHEET. 

To  Dr.  of  Construction $810,123  30 

To  Dr.  of  Real  Estate 81,38771 

Total  Cost  of  Mill  and  Operative  Houses  $    891,511  01 

Convertible  Assets  as  above 245I935  07 

$1,137,446  08 
LIABILITIES. 

Capital  Stock $980,90000 

Liabilities  (as  above) 74^2^1  ^^ 

To  Cr.  Profit  and  Loss,  January  i,  1899 82,304  58 

$1,137,446  08 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Xabor. 

It  is  often  asked  whether  the  people  of  the  South  can 
adapt  tlieniselves  to  mechanical  and  manufacturing  piu-- 
suits.  There  is  a  prevailing  idea  that  there  is  some  doubt 
concerning  this  point.  In  the  early  days  of  the  republic, 
the  South  was  the  enterprising  part  of  the  Union  in  the 
line  of  manufactures  and  industrial  development.  In  1810 
the  manufactured  products  of  Virginia,  the  Carolinas  and 
Georgia  exceeded  in  value  those  of  all  the  New  England 
States  taken  together.  The  South  Carolina  Railway  was. 
when  it  was  built,  one  of  the  greatest  engineering  under- 
takings in  the  world.  The  first  steamship  ever  to  cross 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  went  out  of  Savannah.  These  facts 
are  broug]it  forward,  not  for  any  invidious  comparison, 
but  to  show  that  the  present  generation  of  people  in  the 
cotton  growing  area  has  an  unsurpassed  heritage  of  taste 
for  manufactures. 

The  profit  of  cotton  raising  with  slave  labor  drew  peo- 
ple away  from  manufactures  to  cotton  planting. 

On  the  abolition  of  slavery,  the  capabilities  of  the  peo- 
ple to  organize  and  conduct  manufactures  showed  itself 
again. 

The  manufacture  of  iron,  cotton,  cotton  oil,  lumber. 
&c.,  &c.,  was  promptly  commenced  as  soon  as  slavery  was 
abolished.  It  has  gone  forward  with  wonderful  rapidity. 
There  would  seem  to  be  no  reason  to  apprehend  that  the 
labor  in  the  South  is  less  capable  than  that  of  any  other 
part  of  the  world,  and  it  seems  fair  to  assume  that  with 
education  and  training  as  fine  goods  may  ultimately  be 
made  in  the  cotton  growing  states  as  anywhere  in  the 
world. 

It  would  require  a  book  to  tell  the  story  of  the  former 
well  developed  manufacturing  interests  of  the  South,  of 
the  manner  in  which  it  was  dried  up  by  the  development 
of  the  institution  of  slavery  and  of  its  prompt  re-establish- 
ment on  the  abolition  of  slavery. 


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LABOR.  109 

This  re-establishment  was  not  commenced  immediately 
after  the  civil  war,  because  of  the  chaotic  disorder  brought 
about  by  the  abolition  of  slavery  and  the  enfranchisement 
of  the  negro.  For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  the 
civil  war,  it  required  llie  very  best  judgment,  all  the 
energy  and  all  the  moral  and  physical  courage  of  the 
white  people  of  the  South  to  save  civilization  and  pre- 
serve the  social  status.  Many  a  time  in  this  period  things 
looked  dark  and  gloomy.  The  Anglo-Saxon,  in  this,  as 
in  other  instances,  has  borne  the  white  man's  burden  and 
come  out  in  the  end  gloriously  successful.  The  social 
status  of  the  white  people  has  been  preserved  unimpaired, 
and  race  controversies  are  all  well  nigh  settled  on  line? 
satisfactory  to  both  races,  and  for  the  best  interests  of 
both. 

We  have  no  such  mixture  of  people  as  they  have  in 
Cuba  and  other  Latin  countries.  In  the  future  we  will 
have  no  such  disorder  as  the  Latin  countries,  (with  their 
heterogeneous  mixtures  of  races  and  blood,)  are  always 
having.  Every  obstacle  to  the  development  of  manufac- 
tures has  been  removed.  In  many  parts  of  the  South  the 
development  is  already  well  advanced  and  in  others  it  will 
undoubtedly  grow  rapidly. 

White  and  Colored  Labor. 

Cotton  mill  labor  is  practically  all  white  labor.  Negroes 
are  sometimes  used  for  draymen,  firemen  and  other  such 
purposes  where  there  is  little  or  no  contact  with  the 
white  organization.  It  would  seem  impossible  to  work 
a  force  of  mixed  white  and  black  labor  where  white 
women  and  negro  men  would  be  brought  in  daily  relations 
as  co-workers.  In  laundries  negro  women  work  very  well 
with  and  under  more  or  less  direction  of  white  women. 
There  is  no  instance,  however,  where  a  mixed  organiza- 
tion of  whites  and  blacks  of  both  sexes  have  worked 
toget  lor  successfully. 

Before  the  civil  war  negro  slaves  were  in  a  few  instances 
worked  with  tolerable  success  in  a  few  of  the  isolated 
factories  that  survived  through  the  institution  of  slavery 


110  LABOR. 

In  the  penitentiary  of  South  Carohna  the  negro  con- 
victs do  successful  work  in  a  knitting  mill.  The  State  of 
Alabama  has  a  small  cotton  factory  where  negro  com-icts 
are  worked  on  coarse  goods,  but  the  experiment  has  de- 
termined nothing  so  far. 

One  comprehensive  experiment  has  been  made  at 
Charleston,  S.  C,  to  operate  a  large  factory  \\'ith  negro 
labor.  The  effort  failed.  The  factory  had  failed  twice 
before  with  white  labor,  and  this  experiment  is  by  no 
means  of  itself  conclusive. 

An  effort  is  being  made  at  Concord.  X.  C,  by  an  enter- 
prising negro  to  build  a  cotton  mill  with  capital  subscri- 
bed by  negroes,  and  to  be  operated  by  negroes.  This 
enterprise  is  not  pro-pering.  the  mill  having  been  in 
course  of  construction  several  years  and  being  not  yet 
finished.  Some  of  the  capital  already  obtained  came  from 
white  people  as  a  matter  of  good  will  to  the  negro  race. 

Xegroes  undoubtedly  make  good  laborers  in  cotton 
seed  oil  mills  and  in  many  occupations.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  they  can  ever  be  successfully  used  as  cotton  mill 
operatives,  and  probably  nothing  but  time  can  determine 
this  question.  The  best  judgment  would  seem  to  be  that 
they  will  never  be  available  as  cotton  mill  operatives 
except  in  the  more  menial  occupations.  Possibly,  after 
a  long  time  when  the  white  operatives  shall  have  left  the 
coarse  work  behind,  negroes  may  become  successful  in 
this  work.  It  would  not  seem  advisable  for  a  cotton  mill 
at  this  time  to  undertake  to  work  negro  labor,  for  the 
reason  that  they  are  of  doubtful  efficiency  for  this  work, 
and  for  the  reason  that  it  would  disorganize  the  force  of 
white  labor. 

Dependence  upon  the  negro  as  a  laborer  has  done  infi- 
nite injur}-  to  the  South.  In  the  past  it  brought  about  a 
condition  which  drove  the  white  laborer  from  the  South 
or  into  enforced  idleness.  It  is  important  to  re-establish 
as  quickly  as  possible  respectability  for  white  labor. 

Any  very  material  increase  in  the  prosperity  of  a  peo- 
ple, and  especially  one  which  takes  the  working  element 
from  agricultural   to   expanding  manufacturing  pursuits, 


to 

00 

Q 
o 


in 

o 


o 

o 

O 


o 

(T> 


LABOR  111 

soon  brings  up  questions  of  the  proper  relation  of  employer 
and  employee.  The  increased  prosperity  is  attractive  to 
both  the  employer  and  employee.  The  employer  is  almost 
always  thrifty  and  economical.  Most  of  the  employees 
also  appreciate  .the  opportunity  that  regular  cash  compen- 
sations give  for  an,  improved  condition  of  living. 

Some  few  employers,  however,  are  more  than  thrifty  and 
economical.  They  are  greedy,  ^nd  are  disposed  to  take 
advantage  of  the  system  of  handling  labor  in  manufactur- 
ing, to  oppress  labor  and  disregard  the  ordinary  motives 
of  humanity,  to  make  a  little  more  money.  On  account 
of  these  few,  it  becomes  necessary,  amongst  all  developing 
manufacturing  interests,  to  make  laws  relating  to  the 
employment  of  labor,  both  for  the  benefit  of  labor  itself 
and  for  the  better  class  of  manufacturers. 

There  is  also  a  small  percentage  of  labor  that  is  thriftless 
and  wasteful.  People  of  philanthropic  disposition  are 
often  mislead  by  the  condition  of  these  inherently  bad  or 
weak  people  into  suggestions  of  extreme  labor  laws  that 
would  be  unfair  both  to  the  manufacturer  and  those  work- 
ing people  who  do  work  regularly  and  honestly. 

Labor  Laws. 

The  condition  of  the  small  element  of  working  people 
who  are  weak,  or  bad,  or  both,  cannot  be  improved  by 
making  restrictive  laws.  The  preacher  and  the  philan- 
thropist must  find  ways  to  bring  moral  influences  to  bear 
on  these.  No  law  that  could  be  passed  relating  to  factorv 
labor  could  affect  the  evil  in  a  man  who  himself  loafs  and 
lives  upon  the  proceeds  of  his  children's  labor.  Even  if  the 
law  forbade  his  children  to  work,  the  man's  debased  nature 
would  not  be  altered  by  such  a  law,  and  could  only  be 
altered  by  those  who  are  charged  with  the  work  of  improv- 
ing the  moral  influences  amongst  work  people,  and  espe- 
cially among  those  who  are  most  in  need  of  such  influences. 

The  best  work  of  improvement  amongst  work  people 
is  brought  about  by  the  best  element  of  the  work  people 
themselves.  Those  who  follow  the  subject  theoretically 
are  almost  always  extremists.  They  frequently  propose 
laws  that  offend  the  better  element  amongst  the  working 


112  LABOR. 

people,  and  in  writing  and  talking  about  the  need  of 
improvements,  they  generally  take  examples  from  the 
small  thriftless  element,  and  propose  laws  to  meet  the 
chronic  complaints  of  these.  Such  laws  are  generally 
harsh  towards  the  employer,  and  would  have  little  or  no 
value  to  the  real  honest  working  element. 

The  conservative  manufacturer  and  the  conservative 
working  element  should  not  leave  this  subject  of  labor  laws 
to  people  who  are  theoretic  on  one  side  and  utterly  thrift- 
less on  the  other.  It  would  be  better  to  formulate  and 
advocate  conservative  measures  for  the  protection  of  labor 
on  one  side  and  the  manufacturer  on  the  other.  The  pros- 
perity that  comes  from  the  successful  development  of  man- 
ufacturing interests  should  be,  and  will  always  be,  of 
advantage  to  both  the  owner  of  a  factory  and  the  worker 
in  it. 

Church  and  School. 

It  should  never  be  forgotten  that  the  moral  shortcom- 
ings of  working  people,  and  of  employers  alike,  are  more 
properly  reached  by  the  preacher  and  the  teacher  than  by 
law.  Many  who  discuss  this  subject  of  improving  the  con- 
dition of  working  people  seem  to  fall  into  the  ,error  of 
thinking  that  labor  laws  can  be  made  to  reform  a  drunkard 
or  cure  laziness. 

As  manufacturing  interests  continue  to  develop,  tlie 
knowledge  and  skill  of  the  working  element  will  always 
increase  and  their  condition  will  continue  to  improve.  In 
the  increasing  complication  of  more  extended  and  finer 
work,  laws  regulating  the  relations  of  employer  and 
employees  will  become  necessary. 

The  two  most  important  factors  in  improving  the  con- 
dition of  factory  operatives  are: 

1.  By  means  of  church  influence. 

2.  By  education. 

With  the  extension  of  church  influence  and  the  exten- 
sion of  education,  the  condition  of  the  working  man  or  any 
other  man  is  bound  to  improve.  The  patient  and  consci- 
entious preacher  and  the  patient  and  conscientious  teacher 
will  bring  about  more  and  better  results  for  good  than 
can  ever  be  done  by  law  alone. 


0^* 


(T) 

a. 


o 


O 

o 


LABOR  113 

Labor  laws  should  supplement  these  linfluences  and  allow 
them  to  assist,  rather  than  be  made  aggressive,  harsh 
upon  the  employer,  and  useless  in  promoting  moral  and 
educational  influences.  On  the  other  hand,  there  should 
be  no  hesitation  about  making  conservative  laws  to  break 
down,  as  much  as  possible,  the  barriers  that  stand  in  the 
way  of  the  establishment  of  the  best  influences  by  the  con- 
scientious preacher  and  teacher,  and  for  the  personal  wel- 
fare of  honest  and  real  working  people. 

There  are  but  few  instances  in  which  a  cotton  mill  man- 
agement fails  to  take  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  opera- 
tives. This  interest  extends  to  the  subject  of  church  and 
school  facilities.  The  fact  is  sometimes  lost  sight  of,  how- 
ever, that  cotton  mill  operatives  are  not  a  class  to  them- 
selves. They  are  as  human  as  any  other  humanity,  and 
are  entitled  to  individual  consideration  on  individual 
merit,  as  other  humanity  is.  It  would  not  seem  to  be 
good  policy,  nor  would  it  be  right  for  the  management  of  a 
cotton  mill  to  attempt  any  sumptuary  regulation  of  the 
affairs  of  its  operatives.  It  is  the  duty  to  control  the  or- 
ganization in  the  mill,  and  in  all  things  relating  to  the  mill. 
In  religion  and  in  education  the  corporation  or  its  man- 
agement are  as  much  outsiders  as  the  neighboring  mer- 
chants or  doctors  or  lawyers.  A  family  of  good  and  respon- 
sible people  naturally  want  to  employ  a  physician  of  their 
own  choosing.  They  should  also  select  their  own  church. 
There  may  be  exceptions  to  the  rule  where  mills  are  iso- 
lated in  the  country.  In  the  latter  case,  in  the  absence  of 
medical,  church  and  school  facilities,  the  corporation  man- 
agement would  naturally  be  solicitous  to  have  medical  ser- 
vice, church  and  school  facilities  within  reach.  Under 
these  circumstances,  requirements  as  jto  some  contribution 
from  the  operatives  (which  would  otherwise  be  sumptu- 
ary) become  a  practical  necessity. 

In  two  ways  the  general  condition  of  cotton  factory  op- 
eratives will  be  improved. 

(i.)  As  knowledge  and  skill  increase,  finer  and  higher 
priced  goods  will  be  made. 

(2.)  The  making  of  finer  goods  will  bring  into  the  man- 


114  LABOR. 

ufacture  of  cotton,  suitable  occupations  for  educated  peo- 
ple, such  as  designing  and  finishing  fine  fabrics,  &c.,  &c. 

The  whole  field  is  a  wide  one,  both  for  advancing  the 
condition  of  labor  now  employed,  and  for  introducing 
labor  which  is  better  educated  than  that  now  obtainable. 

As  time  goes  on,  there  must  be  more  schools  and  better 
schools..  If  improvement  is  kept  up  as  it  doubtless  will 
be,  m  the  future  there  will  be  schools  of  chemistry,  phys- 
ics and  such  sciences  and  arts  as  are  necessary  to  qualify 
operatives  to  produce  fine  bleached  goods,  printed  goods 
and  various  fine  fabrics  requiring  artistic  taste  and  scien- 
tific knowledge. 

As  manufactures  develop,  and  the  organizations  of 
working  people  in  the  mills  become  larger,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  but  that  laws  should  be  enacted  for  the  protec- 
tion of  both  the  working  people  and  the  mills.  These 
laws  should  limit  the  age  at  which  children  may  work  in 
a  mil],  regulate  the  hours  of  work  for  the  whole  organi- 
zation, and  provide  such  other  regulations  as  may  from 
time  to  time  be  required  by  the  growing  interests.  Proper 
provisions  for  education  is  most  important,  but  any  laws 
on  this  subject  should  be  general,  and  should  apply  to 
other  people  exactly  the  same  as  to  mill  operatives.  It 
would  seem  desirable  to  make  attendance  upon  school 
compulsory.  Religious  training  is  most  important  of 
all.  This  is  a  subject  that  is  beyond  the  reach  of  any 
laws,  except  those  to  make  favorable  surroundings  for 
church  work  and  influence.  While  the  management  of 
cotton  mill  companies  should,  and  usually  do,  take 
great  interest  in  the  subject  of  religion  and  education, 
they  ere  subjects  that  belong  to  the  commonwealth  and 
the  moral  influences  of  each  community. 

Relation  of  Employer  and  Employee. 

The  question  of  what  are  proper  relations  between  a 
manufacturing  corporation  and  its  employees  is  a  very 
difficult  one  to  settle  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  operatives 
on  the  one  side  and  the  stockholders  on  the  other.  In 
some  cases,  mill  managements  take  great  interest  in  such 
subjects  as  church  facilities,  libraries,     &c.     Too     much 


17 


?7^fcA 


'3- 9'/^  /■>■'-(■' 


Jrkotrx 


...^ 


^fiec  >^/ti. 


J^t-ctit    CUt/aticu 


JfcCLC    Clet/a.il 


Fig.  30.     Two-Room   House.      Cott  S250 


OTq' 


o 

o 
o 


o 


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o 

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rt- 

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Cn 
O 


LABOR.  115 

interference  in  these  matters  that  are  outside  the  business 
relation,  is  in  danger  of  becoming  sumptuary,  and  hence 
offensive  and  harmful  to  the  employee.  Mr.  Pullman's 
well-known  experiment  in  making  a  model  city  and  a 
model  organization  of  model  employees  is  now  notable 
chiefly  for  its  failure. 

In  one  instance  in  the  South,  where  every  care  was 
taken  to  provide  libraries,  reading  rooms,  churches, 
preachers  and  doctors  for  the  benefit  of  operatives,  a  crit- 
ical writer,  on  visiting  the  place,  declared  that  the  corpor- 
ation, with  its  surroundings,  was  a  "beneficent  despo- 
tism." 

In  general  terms,  it  would  seem  to  be  advantageous 
for  the  corporation  and  its  management  to  do  whatever 
is  helpful  to  its  employees  in  every  endeavor  they  make, 
or  can  be  induced  to  make,  to  help  themselves.  To  go 
farther  than  this  is  to  become  sumptuary,  which  is  harm- 
ful. It  is  not  to  be  gainsaid  that  "God  helps  them  who 
help  themselves."  It  can  hardly  be  expected  that  a  cor- 
poration or  its  managers  could  improve  on  His  methods. 

For  those  who  wish  to  help  work  people,  more  of 
friendly  intercourse  with  them,  and  less  urging  of  unne- 
cessary laws  and  less  published  criticisms  would  be  advan- 
tageous. If  the  drunken  and  lazy  element  could  be  elimi- 
nated from  the  factory  village,  and  the  notoriety  seekers 
could  be  eliminated  from  the  other  side,  the  honest  work 
people  and  their  honest  friends  would  have  much  less 
trouble  in  working  out  good  results. 

Quite  a  number  of  people  set  themselves  up  as  philan- 
thropists, and  write  much  about  mill  operatives  and  their 
needs.  Many  of  these  know  little  or  nothing  of  the  mat- 
ters ihey  write  about,  and  have  not  the  slightest  sympa- 
thetic relation  with  the  working  people.  In  one 
instance,  in  which  a  distressing  story  was  told  about  the 
hardships  endured  by  working  people,  the  writer  (who 
wrote  in  good  faith)  confesses  that  he  found,  to  his  sur- 
prise, that  he  had  offended  the  work  people,  from  whose 
neighborhood  he  wrote. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

©peratives'  Ibomee. 

Factories  generally  build  houses  for  the  accomodation 
of  their  operatives.  There  is  a  rough  rule  that  the  house 
ought  to  furnish  one  operative  for  each  room  in  the  house. 
Thus  a  factory  with  300  employees,  would  require  too 
houses  having  an  average  of  3  rooms  each. 

Factory  houses  are  usually  built  around  the  mill,  and 
form  a  little  village  to  themselves.  This  seems  at  present 
the  most  satisfactory  plan  in  the  South,  for  both  the  mills 
and  the  o[»eratives.  They  seem  disposed  to  live  to  them- 
selves and  attend  their  own  schools  and  churches  even 
when  the  mill  village  is  in  a  city. 

In  New  England,  the  factories  seem  disposed  to  aban- 
don the  plan  of  owning  houses  for  operatives.  The  ope- 
ratives seem  to  prefer  to  own  their  houses  or  rent  in  loca- 
tions of  their  own  choice.  It  seems  as  if  the  general  upward 
tendency  is  in  this  diiection.  As  operatives  become  better 
educated  md  more  prosperous,  they  will  be  less  disposed 
to  live  in  groups  to  themselves,  and  more  disposed  to 
mingle  with  people  in  other  callings,  thus  acquiring  a 
broader  and  more  equable  view  of  life. 

New  Designs. 

It  was  formerly  the  custom  to  build  for  operatives  long 
rows  of  houses  exactly  alike,  and  in  most  cases  adjoining 
one  another.  But  it  has  transpired  that  this  is  not  the 
best  plan.  Different  families  have  different  tastes,  and  as 
operatives  grow  in  intelligence  and  prosperity,  this  differ- 
entiation in  taste  becomes  more  marked. 

Recognizing  this  tendency,  the  author  several  years 
ago,  designed  a  line  of  new  factory  cottages,  many  of 
which  have  been  built,  and  have  proved  to  be  very  desira- 
ble and  pleasing.  Engravings  of  some  of  these  houses  are 
shown,  with  memoranda  of  approximate  cost  in  the  Caro- 
linas. 

Where  land  may  be  bought  by  the  acre  at  a  reasonable 


Jlo 


•Shed   Jloom. 


Accn, 


J?o  o  rr\ 

l4-'-o'i.  /-t'-i" 


%. 


IV.-.-. 


^/oof  fllan 


'77?77777. 


Fig.  32.     Three-Room  Gable  House.     Cost  $325 


l^^*-^?'-£^-^-\ 


CPERATIVES'  HOMES.  117 

price,  plenty  of  room  should  be  allotted  to  operatives 
houses.  In  fact  the  ability  to  get  this  room  should  be  one 
important  deciding  factor  in  locating  a  plant.  It  is  well 
to  have  half  an  acre  for  each  house.  If  they  stand  in  rows 
or  streets,  they  should  not  be  less  than  75  to  100  feet  from 
centre  to  centre.  A  half  acre  lot  is  just  about  the  right 
size  for  the  average  lot.  Most  families  have  scant  tinie 
to  devote  to  gardening,  because  so  many  members  of  the 
family  are  occupied  in  the  mill.  Therefore  a  larger  lot 
would  be  apt  to  be  neglected.  At  the  same  time,  it  is 
well  to  encourage  the  planting  of  vegetables  and  flower 
gardens,  as  being  conducive  to  general  contentment 
among  the  operatives  themselves,  and  as  being  an  advan- 
tage to  the  mill  company  in  making  a  cleanly  and  attrac- 
tive property. 

The  whole  matter  of  providing  attractive  and  comfort- 
able habitations  for  cotton  mill  operatives  in  the  South 
may  be  summarized  in  the  statement  that  they  are  essen- 
tially a  rural  people.  They  have  been  accustomed  to 
farm  life,  where  there  is  plenty  of  room.  While  their  con- 
•dition  is  in  most  cases  decidedly  bettered  by  going  to  the 
factory,  the  old  instincts  cling  to  them.  The  ideal 
arrangement  is  to  preserve  the  general  conditions  of  rural 
life  and  add  some  of  the  comforts  of  city  life. 

Failure  to  recognize  this  general  principle  has  in  at 
least  one  instance  (known  to  the  author)  contributed  to 
the  utter  failure  of  a  large  cotton  mill  located  in  a  large 
seaport  city.  Operatives  from  country  mills  would  be 
induced  to  go  there,  and  would  be  subjected  to  the 
routine  of  strictly  city  life,  which  they  could  not  learn  to 
like.  The  result  was  that  all  good  operatives  (who  could 
obiain  work  in  their  old  districts)  would  leave,  and  the 
mill  with  strictly  city  environments  was  left  with  only  the 
least  competent  operatives. 

Sanitary  Conditions. 

The  sanitary^  condition  of  a  mill  village  is  very  impor- 
tant. This  must  in  all  cases  be  looked  after  by  the  offi- 
•cers  of  the  mill  company.  This  is  generally  in  the  hands 
•of  the  superintendent  under  direction  of  the  president. 


118  OPERATIVES'   HOMES. 

In  most  cases  there  are  no  water  closets  but  only 
privies  in  the  back  yard.  The  mill  company  should  in  all 
cases  make  a  permanent  arrangement  to  have  these  kept 
well  cleaned  and  the  ground  sprinkled  with  lime  at  least 
twice  a  week.  While  some  of  the  families  might  attend 
to  this,  themselves,  there  are  many  families  in  which  there 
is  no  one  to  attend  to  such  matters.  Separate  families 
usually  have  no  facilities  for  such  work.  The  mill  com- 
pany can  make  a  good  and  cheap  arrangement  to  care  for 
the  cleanliness  of  the  privies  much  better  than  the  opera- 
tives can. 

Arrangements  should  be  made  to  inspect  at  regular 
intervals  the  operatives  houses  and  yards.  These  are 
generally  very  well  kept  but  sometimes  one  family  would 
be  careless,  and  the  rest  of  the  village  would  suffer  if  an 
inspector  did  not  correct  isolated  faults. 

The  mill  companies  formerly  did  not  charge  rent  for 
houses,  but  this  is  changing.  The  State  of  South  Caro- 
lina recently  passed  a  law  prohibiting  the  employment  of 
factory  operatives  over  1 1  hours  per  day.  Before  this 
law  went  into  effect,  the  mill  companies  did  not  charge 
rent  on  operatives  houses.  Now,  however,  they  charge 
75  cents  per  month  per  room,  and  in  some  cases  $i.oo.  In 
some  cases  the  charge  is  20  cents  per  room  per  week. 
Kitchens  and  unfinished  shed  rooms  are  usually  rated  as 
half  rooms. 

The  following  set  of  specifications  is  submitted  to 
show  about  the  kind  of  house  recommended.  This  is  not 
submitted  as  a  perfect  model,  and  might  not  suit  some 
localities.  It  may  serve  as  a  guide  in  making  specifica- 
tions to  suit  individual  ideas. 

Specifications  for  4- Room  flill  Tenement  Houses. 

The  contractor  is  to  furnish  all  material  and  do  the  con- 
struction work  as  per  specifications  below,  in  accordance 
with  plans  to  be  furnished,  under  the  direction  and  subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  President  of  the  Company  and  of 
the  Engineers  of  the  Company  or  their  authorized  repre- 
sentatives. 


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Fig.  34.     Three-Room  Narrow  House.     Cost  $325 


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OPERATIVES'  HOMES.  119 

The  following  i.s  a  list  of  the  work  the  contractor  is  to 
•do. 

(i.)  Build .  .  .  .houses  of  four  rooms  each  with  pantry 
and  halls  as  per  plans  attached,  which  are  a  part  of  the 
specifications  under  this  contract.  Build  one  small  out- 
side closet  for  each  house. 

(2.)  -Ml  sills  of  ncuses  to  be  set  on  brick  pillars;  pillars 
to  be  noi  more  than  S  feet  centre  to  centre.  The  founda- 
tion of  pillars  to  be  not  less  than  lo"  below  surface  of 
ground,  and  more  if  nature  of  soil  requires.  The  lowest 
pillar  to  be  not  less  than  24"  above  surface  of  ground. 
The  pillars  at  all  corners  of  house  to  be  three  brick  square 
and  those  intermediate  to  be  two  brick  square. 

(3.)  A]\  sills  of  houses  to  be  6"x8"  good  sound  lum- 
ber. Ccrner  posts  to  be  4"x6''.  Door  posts,  window- 
posts  and  chimney  posts  to  be  4"x4".  Braces  2"x4"  and 
to  extend  to  within  2"  of  top  of  corner  posts.  Plates, 
studs  and  rafters  2"x4".  Sleepers  of  floors  to  be  2"x8", 
and  joist  overhead  2"x5".  One  row  of  bridging  to  each 
room  for  sleepers  and  joists. 

(4.)  Window  sills  2"  thick,  and  window,  door  and  cor- 
ner stiles  iV'  thick  and  to  show  5"  face.  Window  and 
door  cappmgs  on  outside  to  have  a  weather  drip  on  top 
1"  thick  and  overhanging  i",  to  be  beveled  and  rabbeted. 

(5.)  Boxing  on  gables  and  under  eaves  to  be  10"  and 
finished  w:"th  suitable  moulding.  Frieze  boards  to  extend 
10"  below  boxing.  All  roofs  covered  with  good  sound 
saw^ed  pme  shingles 

(6.)  Weatherboarding  to  be  f "  thick  and  show  5^^",  to 
be  of  novelty  pattc-n  v^hich  will  be  selected  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Company. 

(7.)  Flooring,  tongue  and  grooved,  i"  thick  and  not 
more  than  4"  wide. 

(8.^  VVainscoating  to  be  placed  in  front  hall  and 
kitchen,  and  to  be  of  tongue  and  grooved  ceiling  not  more 
than  4"  wide,  with  beads  and  suitable  capping. 

(9.)  Washboards  i''xio"  (including  moulding)  to  be 
placed  arcund  all  walls  in  houses. 

(10.)     All  window  and  door  facing  inside  to  be  4"  wide 


120  OPERATIVES'  HOMES. 

and  furnislied  with  band  moulding.  The  doors  in  houst2 
except  front  and  closet  doors  to  be  2'-8"x6'-3"  and  i^" 
thick,  O.  G.  with  4  panels.  Front  doors  to  be  s'x/'  and 
to  have  neat  glass  panels,  which  will  be  selected  by  the 
President  of  the  Company.  Closet  doors  to  be  2'x6'.  O. 
G.  i^  "  thick  with  4  panels.  Large  doors  to  be  hung  with 
not  less  than  3^"  butt  hinges  and  furnished  with  good 
knobs  and  locks  will,  brass  or  wrought  iron  keys.  Closet 
doors  to  be  hung  villi  not  less  than  3"  butt  hinges  and 
furnislied  with  good  locks  and  good  keys.  Closet  walls 
to  be  lathed  and  plastered  same  as  room  walls.  Closets 
to  contain  shelves. 

(11.)  All  windows  except  that  in  pantry  to  have  good 
substantial  frame  of  sufficient  size  to  hold  two  sash  of  six 
io"xi4"  Hghts  each,  and  are  to  be  furnished  with  a  suit- 
able catch  to  lock  and  hold  sash. 

(12.)  All  interior  walls,  except  those  of  rear  hall  to  be 
plastered,  with  three  coat  work,  including  skim  coat. 
Picture  moulding  to  be  placed  around  top  of  walls. 

(13.J  Two  fire  places  are  to  be  built  in  houses,  as 
shown  on  plans,  each  to  have  neat  and  substantial  mantle. 
Chimneys  to  be  built  of  brick  on  a  good  solid  foundation. 
Fire  piaces  to  be  3'  wide  at  front  and  30"  wide  at  back; 
30"  high  and  14"  deep,  snd  flues  to  be  of  sufficient  size  to 
give  a  good  draft.  Hearths  to  be  laid  with  hard  burnt 
brick  and  13"  wide  from  jams  or  face  of  chimney.  Chim- 
neys to  extend  at  least  4I"  above  comb  of  roof.  All 
chimney  fines  to  be  cleaned  down  and  plastered  inside  A 
flue  of  sufficient  size  is  to  be  provided  in  room  back  of 
front  hall  for  stove  pipe  connection.  On  top  of  kitchen 
a  flue  of  safe  fire  height  is  to  be  built  to  receive  stove  pipe. 

(14.)  Piazza  to  be  built  in  front  of  house  as  shown  on 
drawing,  s'lls  to  be  .i''x6"  set  on  brick  pillars  not  more 
than  8"  apart  from  centre  to  centre,  and  are  to  be  two 
brick  square.  Sleepers  2"x8"  joist  2"x4",  width  of  porch 
to  be  5  feet,  and  to  be  covered  with  beaded  ceiling  and 
then  shingled  same  as  house  roof.  Flooring  to  be  the 
same  as  in  house.  Porch  roof  to  be  plain  shed  roof  with 
pitch  enough  to  gi\'e  good  drain.     Pitch  of  main  roof  on 


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Fig.  36.     Four-Room  Gable  House.     Cost  $400 


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OPERATIVES'  HOMES.  121 

house  to  be  about  40  degrees  or  one  foot  lower  than  a 
square.  Porch  column  to  be  4^x4"  with  central  portion 
turned  to  some  neat  pattern,  and  brackets  of  suitable 
design  pl.iced  on  each  side  of  columns  at  top.  Back  porch 
is  to  be  latticed  as  shown  on  drawing.  Steps  of  sufhcient 
height  and  width  are  to  be  placed  at  front  and  back 
porches. 

(15.)  Lumber  to  be  good  second  grade,  not  absolutely 
free  from  knots  but  no  large  or  loose  knots,  and  no  piece 
wholly  knotty. 

(16.^^  Studs  to  be  not  more  than  20"  centers.  Sleep- 
ers and  joists  to  be  not  more  than  24"  centers.  Blinds  to 
be  placed  on  all  windows.  They  are  to  be  two  piece  blinds 
with  adjustable  shutters,  and  are  to  be  hung  with  substan- 
tial catch  hinges,  and  to  have  catches  on  inside. 

(17.)  Houses  to  be  painted  with  two  coats  paint  on 
outside,  including  steps  and  all  exposed  wood,  except 
shingle  roof.  Also  two  coats  inside  on  all  exposed  wood 
surfaces.  All  paint  used  to  be  of  good  quality.  The 
houses  may  be  painted  with  two  or  three  different  colors; 
the  colors  and  trimmings  to  be  selected  by  the  President 
or  his  representative. 

(18.)  I  he  contractor  is  to  take  the  ground  as  it  is,  and 
deliver  a  turn  key  job,  following  the  specifications  and 
also  the  drawings  attached.  The  intention  is  that  the 
contractor  shall  make  a  complete  job.  If  any  details  are 
omitted  in  this  writing,  the  contractor  shall  furnish  such 
details  nevertheless  without  extra  charge.  All  work  to 
he  done  m  a  substantial  and  workmanlike  manner. 


CHAPTER  X. 

IPower. 

The  power  generally  used  to  operate  a  cotton  mill  is- 
either  steam  or  water.  In  some  industries  gas  is  begin- 
ning to  be  used  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  it  looks  as  if 
gas  engines  might  come  in  at  an  early  date  as  a  competitor 
of  the  steam  engine  and  the  water  wheel.  It  has  already 
done  so  in  the  natural  gas  region.  Engines  of  considera- 
ble dimensions  are  now  being  built  to  run  with  gasoline, 
ordinary  illuminating  gas,  or  producer  gas  made  for  the 
purpose.  There  is  an  impression  in  the  minds  of  many 
people  tnat  electricity  is  one  of  the  sources  of  power  for 
operating  machinery.  This  is  not  true,  and  wherever 
electricity  is  used  it  only  serves  the  purpose  of  transmis- 
sion in  the  same  manner  as  shafts  and  belts.  The  elec- 
tricity is  always  generated  by  steam,  water,  gas  or  in  a  few 
cases  by  wind  or  other  forces.  The  question  is  often 
asked  "Which  is  cheaper  steam  or  water  power."  In  very 
general  terms,  and  for  the  commercial  reader  who  is  not 
interested  in  details,  the  cost  of  power  is  about  as  given 
below: 

Cost  of  Steam  Power. 

400  H.  P.  II  hours  per  day. 

CorHss  Compound  Condensing  Engine, 

Cost  per  H.  P.  per  Year $12.50 

400  H.  P.  II  Hours  per  day  Single  Cylinder: 

Corliss  Engine  Condensing    IS-^^ 

400  H.  P.  II  Hours  per  day.  Single  CyHnder: 

Corliss  Non-Condensing 17-50 

Cost  of  Water  Power. 

400  H.  P.  Water — low  cost  development,  not  seri- 
ously troubled  with  droughts  or  floods 7.50 

Same  with  more  expensive  development  and 

less  regularity IS-^^ 

Same  with  still  more  expensive  development 

and  less  regularity   25.00 


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Fig.  i^*     Five-Room  Narrow  House.     Cost  $450 


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POWER.  12S 

Same  under  expensive  development  and  much 

floods  or  droughts,  or  both 100.00 

All  these  conditions  are  found  in  practice,  both  as  to 
steam  and  water. 

These  figures  in  all  cases,  of  course,  are  average  esti- 
mates. Better  or  worse  results  are  frequently  obtained. 
The  price  of  fuel  is  an  important  factor  in  influencing  the 
ultimate  cost  of  a  horse  power  by  steam  and  also  by  gas. 

Where  natural  gas  is  obtainable  at  25c.  per  thousand  or 
less,  the  gas  engine  has  been  found  so  economical  as  to  be 
extensively  adopted,  and  it  is  growing  in  favor. 

Considering  water  powers  in  connection  with  electric 
transmission,  the  first  cost  of  the  transmission  might  be 
in  an  average  case  $100  per  horse  power.  The  interest 
on  the  above  would  make  the  operating  expense  of  this 
part  $5.00  per  horse  power.  Assuming  the  cost  of  repairs 
and  attendance  to  be  $2.00  per  horse  power  and  the  cost 
of  water  power  itself  to  be  only  $5.00  per  horse  power, 
we  would  have  a  total  of  $12.00  per  horse  power,  or  very 
little  less  than  the  minimum  cost  of  steam  power.  Thus 
it  is  seen  that  a  good  water  power  with  a  transmission 
plant  is  about  the  equivalent  of  a  good  coal  mine  and  a 
first  class  steam  engine. 

There  are  various  other  factors,  the  changing  values  of 
which  might  bring  infinite  changes  in  these  comparative 
results.  ^ 

Water  Required  foi*  5team  Plants. 

The  amount  of  water  required  to  make  steam  for 
engines  dififers  with  the  type  of  engine  and  its  size.  For  a 
compound  condensing  Corliss  engine  of  400  horse  power, 
it  is  14  to  18  pounds  per  horse  power  per  hour,  or  say  13 
gals,  per  minute  for  400  horse  power.  For  a  single  cyhn- 
der  condensing  engine,  it  is  about  20  per  cent,  more;  for  a 
single  cylinder  non-condensing  engine  it  is  about  50  per 
cent,  more  than  a  compound  condensing,  or  say  20  gals, 
per  minute  for  400  horse  power.  But  the  amount  of 
water  reauired  to  make  the  steam  in  the  case  of  the  con- 


124  POWER. 

densing  engine  is  but  a  small  amount  of  the  total.  It  is 
only  stated  above  as  a  measure  of  the  relative  economy  of 
the  various  types  of  engines.  Condensing  engines  require 
water  for  condensing  the  exhaust  steam.  The  amount  of 
it  depends  upon  the  temperature.  At  such  temperatures 
as  are  usually  found  in  running  streams,  the  water 
required  is  about  one  gallon  per  horse  power  per  minute. 
Many  mills,  finding  it  difficult  to  obtain  as  much  water  as 
is  indicated  above,  have  recourse  to  large  ponds,  into 
which  the  water  is  discharged  after  having  been  used  for 
condensation.  It  is  pumped  out  of  the  pond  and  used 
over  and  over.  The  evaporation  from  the  surface  of  the 
pond  cools  the  water  to  some  extent,  thus  making  a  con- 
siderable fuel  economy  by  condensing,  but  not  quite  so 
much  as  with  cooler  water.  Another  device  for  saving 
water  for  condensing  purposes  is  the  cooling  tower, 
which  is  provided  with  a  large  blower  to  deliver  air  at  the 
bottom  of  tower  into  a  descending  shower  of  water 
pumped  in  at  the  top.  This  is  a  very  good  arrangement 
where  the  power  to  be  developed  is  large,  and  the  water 
supply  small.  The  water  required  with  this  system  is  but 
little  more  than  is  required  to  make  the  actual  steam. 
On  this  basis,  a  400  horse  power  compound  condensing 
engine  would  require  from  15  to  25  gallons  of  water  per 
minute.  But  it  is  always  well  to  provide  for  ample  water 
supply,  always  somewhat  in  excess  of  the  above  figures 
which  are  fair  averages  for  good  conditions  all  around, 
without  allowance  for  bad  management. 

Fuel  Required  for  Steam  Plants. 

The  fuel  required  to  operate  a  steam  plant  varies  some- 
what with  the  kind  of  boilers  employed,  but  varies  to  a 
much  greater  extent  with  the  kind  of  engine.  With 
usual  standard  boilers,  the  fuel  consumption  varies  about 
as  the  amount  of  water  required  to  make  steam  for  the 
engine.  Under  good  average  conditions  the  amount  of 
coal  consumed  per  horse  power  per  hour  for  400  horse 
power  is  about  as  follows: 

Compound  Condensing if  lbs. 

Single  Cylinder  Condensing 2^  lbs. 


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Fig.  40.      Six-Room   Narrow    House.     Cost  $600 


POWER.  125 

Single  Cylinder  Non-Condensing   3  lbs. 

Expressed  as  total  tons  of  coal  per  day  of  11  hours  for 
400  horse  power,  it  would  be  about  as  follows: 

Compound  Condensing   4  tons. 

Single  Cylinder  Condensing 5  tons. 

Single  Cylinder  Non-Condensing 6^  tons. 

Steam  economy  is  affected  by  so  many  conditions,  that 
the  above  estimate  must  be  taken  only  as  a  suggestion  as 
to  what  is  actually  possible  in  good  practice.  In  some 
cases,  the  water  and  fuel  consumption  might  be  found 
less  than  that  given;  and  in  many  cases  it  would  be  found, 
more.  Smaller  engines  show  less  economy  and  larger 
ones  slightly  more. 

Relative  Value  Coal  and  Wood. 

The  relative  value  of  coal  and  wood. is  variable.' 
With  good  wood  and  bad  coal,  one  cord  of  wood  might 
be  equal  in  value  to  one  ton  of  coal.  With  good  coal  and 
bad  wood,  it  might  require  four  cords  of  wood  to  be  equal 
in  value  to  i  ton  of  coal.  As  an  average,  it  is  generally 
considered  that  two  cords  of  wood  equals  one  ton  of  coal. 
About  I -J  cords  of  long  leaf  Carolina  pine  is  equal  in  value 
to  I  ton  of  Pocahontas  coal.  This  is  a  comparison  of  the 
very  best  wood  with  an  excellent  coal. 

Transmission  of  Power. 

The  cost  of  shafting,  hangers,  pulleys  and  belts  to 
mechanically  transmit  power  from  the  source  in  the  same 
building  is  for  a  cotton  mill  $15  to  $25  per  horse  power. 
Under  the  same  conditions,  the  cost  of  electric  apparatus 
to  transmit  the  power  (practically  without  shafting,  &c.) 
is  about  double  the  above.  There  is  usually  no  advantage 
in  this.  The  advantage  in  electrical  transmission  is  when 
the  source  of  power  is  at  some  distance  from  the  mill,  or 
is  for  some  reason  inacessible. 

It  is  claimed  that  there  is  a  saving  in  electrical  trans- 
mission even  in  the  same  building,  owing  to  the  reduction 
of  friction  due  to  displacing  the  shafting.  But  in  a  cotton 
mill,  this  claim  has  not  been  demonstrated.  But  there  are 
other  cases,  as  in  some  machine  shops,  where  electric 
transmission  makes  a  great  saving. 


126  POWER. 

The  first  cost  of  plant  for  electrical  transmission  is  about 
as  follows: 

For  near  by  transmission  (^  to  4  miles)  where  ordinary 
direct  currents  can  be  used 

Generators 10.00 

Motors 10.00 

Wire  Switches,  &c 10.00 

Total,  about   30.00  per  H.  P. 

From  one  to  five  miles,  with  alternating  currents,  gen- 
erators of  1,000  to  2,000  volts,  and  with  transformers  at 
the  delivery  end,  to  reduce  current  for  use  on  low  pres- 
.sure  motors,  the  first  cost  is  about  $50.00  per  horse 
power. 

For  long  distance  transmission,  5  to  40  miles,  with  gen- 
erators for  ordinary  pressures,  step  up  transformers,  step 
down  transformers,  and  all  pole  lines,  wires  and  appliances 
the  first  cost  is  $75  to  $100  per  horse  power. 

There  seems  to  be  a  growing  business  in  the  develop- 
ment cf  cheap  and  extensive  water  powers  for  the  purpose 
of  electrically  transmitting  the  power  to  cities  to  sell  at  io 
much  per  horse  power  per  year.  When  new  industries 
can  be  promoted  in  the  cities,  to  use  this  power,  their 
plants  may  be  biiilt  with  special  reference  to  using  this 
source  of  power.  That  is,  no  steam  plant  would  be  pro- 
vided, and  but  little  shafting.  If  the  transmitted  power 
to  be  supplied  is  reliable  and  cheap,  then  it  is  a  logical 
thing  to  use  it  under  these  conditions.  But  where  there 
are  established  industries  on  a  paying  basis,  equipped  with 
good  steam  plants,  it  requires  considerable  inducement 
on  the  part  of  the  transmission  companies  to  cause  the 
owners  oi  such  established  plants,  to  abandon  steam  and 
use  the  new  power. 

Proposition  to  Furnish  Electric  Power. 

The  author  knows  of  one  case  in  which  transmitted 
pov/er  was  offered  to  a  cotton  mill  using  about  400  horse 
power  of  steam,  running  day  and  night.  The  cost  of 
•steam  power  to  this  mill,  day  and  night  was  $30  per  horse 


(T) 
(T) 

o 
o 

B 

o 


O 
o 

=^ 

o 
o 


POWER.  127 

power  per  year.  The  transmission  company  proposed 
that  the  mill  should  buy  the  electric  motors  and  install 
them  at  the  mill's  expense,  and  pay  for  the  power  $25  per 
horse  power  per  year.  This  was  rejected  and  a  counter 
proposition  made  as  follows: 

The  transmission  company  must  do  the  following: 

1.  Furnish  all  motors.     (See  item  7.) 

2.  Install  the  motors  and  other  apparatus  and  make  the 
change  from  the  old  to  the  new  system  without  shut- 
ting down  the  mill. 

3.  Make  the  installation  in  such  a  way  that  the  old  steam 
plant  may  be  re-connected  at  a  moment's  notice. 

4.  Supply  current  with  regularity. 

5.  Guarantee  a  saving  in  power  of  20  per  cent. 

6.  Make  no  charge  for  power  at  such  times  as  the  mill  is 
not  running. 

7.  Sell  the  motors  and  installation  to  the  mill  at  not  more 
than  J^20  per  horse  power,  and  take  pay  for  it  in  5  yearly 
installments  with  an  interest  charge  of  6  per  cent,  per 
annum  on  average  dates. 

8.  The  charge  for  power  is  to  be  $15  per  horse  power  per 
year  for  day  service  and  $10  for  night  service,  or  $25  for 
day  and  night. 

The  apparently  exacting  nature  of  this  proposition 
shows  how  entirely  satisfactory  it  is  possible  to  make  a 
steam  plant;  and  how  difficult  it  will  be  for  any  sort  ot 
transmitted  power  to  displace  steam  in  large  installa- 
tions. 

The  greatest  value  of  electrically  transmitted  power  i» 
in  its  distribution  and  use  in  small  units.  A  cotton  mm 
where  a  satisfactory  steam  plant  is  already  installea 
presents  ihe  most  adverse  condition  for  the  economical 
use  of  water  power  transmitted  by  electricity.  In  new 
mills,  and  wherever  power  is  used  in  small  units,  electrical 
transmission  becomes  economical  and  valuable. 


c:hapter  XL 
Sale  of  products. 

Nearly  all  cotton  mill  products  in  the  United  States  are 
sold  through  commission  houses.  They  take  orders  for 
cloth  and  yarn  and  transmit  them  to  the  mills.  They  look 
after  the  sale  and  delivery  and  the  collection  of  the  money. 
For  this  service  the  mills  usually  pay  a  commission  of  5 
per  cent,  on  yarn  and  fancy  cloth,  (including  ginghams 
and  the  like),  and  4  per  cent,  on  white  or  "gray"  cloth. 
This  charge  includes  the  guaranteeing  of  the  account  by 
the  commission  house,  and  also  any  charges  for  insurance 
and  storage. 

But  there  are  usually  some  other  charges  such  as  2  per 
cent,  for  cash  in  10  days.  Most  goods  are  sold  nominally 
on  60  days  time;  but  the  time  is  frequently  extended  by 
future  datings  and  extra  allowances. 

The  principal  yarn  market  in  the  United  States  is  Phil- 
adelphia, and  the  principal  cloth  market  New  York.  There 
is  some  yarn  sold  in  New  York,  Boston,  Providence  and 
other  points,  but  the  yarn  commission  merchants  are  more 
numerous  in  Philadelphia  than  elsewhere.  Both  the  New 
York  and  the  Philadelphia  houses  sometimes  have 
branches  in  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati.  There 
are  also  some  independent  commission  houses  in  these 
cities,  handling  mostly  cloth. 

The  yarns  which  go  to  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Prov- 
idence and  Boston  are  sold  to  weavers  who  do  no  spin- 
ning. Many  of  these  weavers  use  a  great  variety  of  yarns, 
and  it  would  never  pay  them  to  spin.  Some  of  them  use 
cotton  warps  and  wool  fillings.  In  many  cases,  several 
different  kinds  of  yarns  will  be  used  in  the  same  cloth. 
Much  yarn  is  also  consumed  in  making  lace  curtains. 

Products  can  always  be  consigned  to  commission  men, 
and  drafts  of  75  to  90  per  cent,  of  the  value  made  against 
them.  But  this  custom  almost  always  results  unsatisfac- 
tory to  the  mill. 


to 


?3 
O 

o 


o 

in 


o 


SAKE  OF  PRODUCTS.  129 

The  dry  goods  commission  business  has  been  a  very 
prosperous  one  where  well  managed.  Some  of  the 
important  commission  houses  of  New  York  have  become 
rich  enough  to  become  the  controlling  factors  in  some  of 
the  largest  banks  there.  Thus  situated,  they  would 
rather  advance  money  on  consigned  goods  than  not.  In 
doing  this,  their  banking  interests  are  served,  as  well  as 
their  own  business  of  selling  goods  on  commission.  In 
the  transaction  there  may  be  a  profit  in  borrowing  money 
at  3  per  cent  from  the  bank,  and  charging  the  manufac- 
turer at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent. 

Some  mills  open  an  office  in  New  York  and  sell  direct. 
Some  employ  salaried  men  to  sell  goods  direct  to  job- 
bers in  certain  territory  or  all  over  the  country. 

Most  of  the  goods  manufactured  in  the  South  are 
handled  through  commission  houses  and  these  have  been 
of  great  advantage  to  many  mills  indeed  to  most  of 
them.  It  requires  constant  care,  however,  and  not  infre- 
quently a  change  of  agents  to  get  full  prices  and  prompt 
sales.  The  mill  man  ought  to  make  periodic  visits  to 
New  York  and  look  over  the  markets  for  himself  to 
check  up  his  accounts  and  the  situation  with  his    agents. 

Commission  houses  rarely  expose  to  the  mills  the 
names  of  the  customers,  except  when  there  is  a  complaint, 
a  reclamation  or  a  cancellation  of  an  order.  In  such  cases, 
the  commission  houses  generally  claim  that  the  mill  should 
accept  the  cancellation,  or  allow  the  claim  if  it  has  to  be 
made.  Some  commission  houses  claim  that  they  often 
pay  reclamations  rather  than  raise  questions  with  the 
mills  they  represent. 

Commission  houses  are  generally  very  accommodating 
about  advancing  money  to  mills  on  goods.  Indeed  many 
of  them  are  altogether  too  accommodating  about  holding 
goods  and  advancing  money  on  them.  Many  a  mill  has 
been  broken  by  the  accumulation  of  goods  in  the  hands 
of  commission  houses  with  advances  made  upon  them, 
till  the  interest  account,  and  the  hampered  conditions 
would  absorb  the  best  of  the  mill's  assets. 

It  is  common  for  mills,  especially  in  the  South,  to  allow 


130  SALE   OF  PRODUCTS. 

freight  ciiarges  from  the  mill  to  the  general  market  in 
which  the  goods  are  sold.  This  is  sometimes  extended 
to  require  freight  allowances  on  goods  to  destination, 
wherever  sold  in  this  country. 

A  good  commission  house  is  a  very  excellent  institu- 
tion, and  these  are  great  helps  to  the  mills.  They  not 
only  dispose  of  the  mills  products,  but  help  in  such  finan- 
ceering  as  the  mill  needs,  and  in  many  ways  are  advanta- 
geous to  the  mill. 

There  are  many  abuses  in  the  commission  business,  how- 
ever, which  ought  to  be  eliminated. 

Sometimes  a  commission  house  will  get  the  lowest  pos- 
sible limit  of  price  from  a  mill,  and  then  buy  the  goods 
and  resell  them  at  a  higher  price. 

Sometimes  option  prices  will  be  obtained  from  a  distant 
mill;  if  goods  go  up,  the  order  is  sent  in  at  the  option 
price,  and  sold  at  a  higher  price. 

Countermands  to  please  customers  are  too  often 
allowed  by  commission  houses. 

Most  of  the  commission  houses  are  free  from  flagrant 
abuses,  such  as  above  cited,  but  the  few  who  are  guilty 
make  trouble  for  both  the  mills  and  the  square  dealing 
houses. 

Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  the  selection  of  a  com- 
mission house,  and  having  found  a  good  one,  it  is  well  to 
stay  with  it.  But  equally  great  care  should  be  exercised 
not  to  stay  with  a  doubtful  commission  house  too  long. 

No  rule  can  be  given  as  to  selection  of  a  commission 
house.  Nothing  but  business  judgment  can  be  of  value 
in  appointing  an  agent,  or  in  changing  them. 

When  a  mill  deals  for  a  long  time  with  one  commission 
house,  the  kind  of  goods  that  a  mill  can  make,  gradually 
becomes  well  known,  without  any  special  system  of  infor- 
mation. But  each  mill  should  have  a  system  of  keeping 
all  interested  parties  fully  informed  about  the  kind  of 
goods  that  it  is  possible  for  it  to  make  without  expen- 
sive changes  in  equipment.  This  would  save  considera- 
ble correspondence  and  would  put  a  commission  house  or 
other  customers  of  the  mill  in  a  position     to     telegraph 


SALE  OF  PRODUCTS. 


131 


orders  or  inquiries  with  a  certainty  that  the  goods  can  be 
easily  made.  For  this  purpose,  the  following  forms  are 
submitted  as  models  for  printing  on  postal  or  other 
cards,  to  send  to  customers  or  other  interested  parties. 
These  cards  are  shown  as  filled  out  with  imaginary  data 
from  a  cloth  mill  and  a  yarn  mill. 

Form  T.  CLOTH  CARD. 

We  are  equipped  with  looms  and  supplies  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  the  following  kinds  of  cloth:  Warp  Threads 
per  inch: 44,  48.  52,  56,  60,  64, 

Filling  Threads  per  inch: 44,  46,  48,  50,  52,  54.  56, 

58,  60 

Width  of  Cloth: up  to  40  inches 

Harness:    No   goods   can   be   made   with   more 

than  4  harness 

Colors: Nothing  but  undyed  goods 

heights  of  Goods:  ....  Any  weight  containing  yarn 
ranging  from  number  18  to  number  28 

Looms  now  running  on 64x44,  28    inch     5     yd. 

cloth 


132  SALE  OF  PRODUCTS. 

Form  V.  YARN  CARD. 

We  are  equipped  with  machinery  and  supplies  for  the 
prompt  production  of  the  following  yarns:  ....  single  or 
two  to  four  ply  yarn  numbers  i6  to  28. 

Put  up ....  in  chain  warps,  up  to  2250  ends,  any 
length,  ball  warps  and  skeins. 

Colors.  .  .  .      No  dyeing 

Mill  is  now  running  on mostly  2  ply  26 

The  cost  of  selling  goods  in  the  United  States  is  high 
as  compared  with  England  and  Continental  Europe. 

In  England,  cotton  mill  products  are  sold  on  commer- 
cial exchanges.  In  Manchester,  there  is  a  large  exchange 
building.  The  manufacturers  and  brokers  meet  in  this 
building  each  day,  but  more  especially  on  Tuesdays  and 
Fridays.  Here,  sales  are  made  through  brokers  at  i^  per 
cent,  commission  without  any  discounts,  freight  allow- 
ances or  other  extra  charges. 

An  attempt  was  made  to  have  such  an  arrangement  m 
Philadelphia.  The  Philadelphia  Bourse  was  built  for  the 
purpose  of  serving  as  an  exchange  of  commercial  products. 
The  plan  is  a  very  good  one  and  it  is  hoped  it  will  become 
popular  and  be  generally  used. 


op* 


ft) 


m 

•-t 

t-r- 
O 

O 

rc 
3 


CHAPTER  XII. 

textile  lebucation. 

It  seems  almost  incredible  that  until  within  a  few  years, 
there  should  have  been  in  the  United  States  no  school  or 
other  means  of  instruction  in  the  textile  arts.  This  state- 
ment is  especially  emphasized  in  view  of  the  two  facts,  viz: 
(i)  That  this  country  is  and  has  been  the  chiefest  one  of 
the  world  in  the  production  of  cotton,  one  of  the  most 
extensively  used  of  all  textile  fabrics;  and  (2)  that  in  the 
cotton  producing  regions  of  the  United  States,  there  is 
now  a  scarcity  of  suitable  occupation  for  a  large  class  of 
people  who,  with  knowledge  and  skill,  could  find  profita- 
ble employment  in  cotton  manufacture. 

In  other  fields  of  development,  the  United  States  have 
not  been  behind  hand  in  providing  schools  for  the  devel- 
opment of  the  necessary  knowledge  and  skill  relating  to 
special  features  of  industrial  development.  As  early  as 
1820,  a  special  school  was  founded  at  Troy,  New  York,  by 
one  of  the  Van  Rensselaers,  to  interest  and  train  boys  in 
civil  engineering.  This  school  has  had  a  vast  influence 
in  the  development  of  the  American  railway  system.  It 
w^as  also  the  most  important  factor  in  the  development  of 
bridge  construction  in  this  country.  In  both  these  fields 
this  country  has  for  a  long  time  led  the  rest  of  the  world. 
While  continental  railway  systems  have  developed  along 
lines  laid  down  in  England,  the  American  system  has 
ahvays  been  entirely  original  and  is  now  surpassing  all 
other  systems  in  popularity  the  world  over.  The  Ameri- 
can superiority  exhibits  itself,  not  alone  in  the  character 
of  its  methods,  but  also  in  the  extent  of  its  development 
at  hopie  of  more  miles  of  railway  than  any  other  country, 
and  perhaps  greater  than  that  of  the  rest  of  the  world  all 
together. 

As  the  demand  for  technical  graduates  in  the  railway 
service  and  in  bridge  construction  increased,  more  schools 
were  esLablished,  until  to-day  the  market  is  rather  over- 
stocked with  men  who  are  fully  equipped  with  all  the 


134  TEXTILE  EDUCATION. 

knowledge  and  skill  to  meet  every  possible  demand  for 
railway  and  bridge  work. 

Some  thirty  years  ago  the  subject  of  metallurgical  edu- 
cation and  training  began  to  receive  proper  attention. 
Before  that  time,  pig  iron,  wrought  iron  and  steel  were 
only  made  in  this  country  under  the  protection  of  heavy 
import  duties,  ^^'hen  the  schools  began  to  furnish  men 
well  educated  and  well  trained,  the  tide  began  at  once  to 
turn,  and  to-day  the  conditions  are  so  far  reversed  that 
we  export  both  pig  iron  and  steel.  The  only  protection  we 
need  in  metallurgical  arts  is  the  provision  for  shipping 
facilities  to  send  iron  and  steel  to  foreign  countries. 

The  subject  of  special  education  has  probably  received 
fuller  attention  in  Germany  than  in  any  other  country. 
There  has  been  developed  there  a  system  of  chemical 
schools,  textile  schools,  and  other  technical  schools  which 
have  had  a  marked  influence  on  the  progress  and  commer- 
cial importance  of  the  German  Empire.  By  means  of 
these  schools  and  the  creation  and  support  of  a  fine  mer- 
chant marine  service,  England  has  been  brought  to  make 
several  investigations  into  the  causes  which  led  to  the 
supplanting  of  English  goods  in  many  foreign  markets  by 
other  goods  bearing  the  mark  "]^Iade  in  Germany."  In 
every  case  the  English  commissions  sent  out  to  investi- 
gate this  subject  have  reported  that  the  foundation  of 
Germany's  success  lay  in  her  system  of  special  schools,  in 
which  men  were  educated  and  trained  to  embark  in  special 
lines  of  manufacture,  equipped  with  the  fullest  knowledge 
and  the  best  skill  possible  to  obtain:  that  in  the  prepara- 
tion and  use  of  dyestufTs,  and  in  all  the  measurements  and 
calculations  relating  to  the  production  of  fabrics  of  uni- 
form quality  and  color,  and  in  systems  of  instruction  and 
training,  the  Germans  had  made  wonderful  progress. 

After  finding  what  progress  was  being  made  on  the 
Continent,  in  the  matter  of  Textile  Education,  the  English 
took  the  subject  in  hand  and  in  many  English  textile  cen- 
tres vast  sums  have  been  spent  in  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  textile  schools.  ^Manchester  has  one  of 
these,  the  cost  of  which  has  already  exceeded  a  million 
dollars.     The  disposition  of  the  ^Manchester  people  is  to 


TEXTILE  EDUCATION.  135 

spare  no  cost  that  will  tend  to  make  this  school  the  finest 
possible. 

The  tirst  textile  school  of  importance  in  this  country 
was  founded  at  Philadelphia  some  years  ago.  Its  useful- 
ness is  now  rapidly  growing,  and  there  is  every  promise 
that  it  will  be  brought  to  the  perfection  of  some  of  the 
European  schools  at  an  early  day.  It  is  a  very  excellent 
school  already.  Schools  have  also  been  established  at 
other  places  in  this  country  as  follows:  Lowell,  Mass., 
Clemson,  South  Carolina;  New  Bedford,  Mass.;  Atlanta, 
Ga.;  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

A  technical  education  should  consist  of  three  parts: 

1.  A  good  general  education. 

2.  Special  study  of  the  special  subject. 

3.  Special  training  in  the  special  subject. 

The  manufacture  of  cotton  is,  in  many  senses,  an  art, 
just  as  music  is  an  art.  Using  the  musician's  art  for  com- 
parison, it  will  be  found  that  a  good  musician  is  made  as 
follows: 

1.  He  first  gets  a  good  general  education. 

2.  He  gains  knowledge  by  special  and  hard  study  of  the 
musical  science. 

3.  He  gains  skill  by  long  and  arduous  practice. 

So  in  the  textile  art,  the  plan  of  preparation  should  be: 

1.  Get  a  good  general  education. 

2.  Do  special  and  hard  study  in  the  principles  involved 
in  making  cloth. 

3.  Continue  in  long  and  arduous  practice  with  textile 
machinery. 

A  technical  graduate  is  no  more  fit  to  take  charge  of  a 
cotton  mill  or  any  of  its  departments,  without  having  had 
a  long  term  of  practical  work  as  an  apprentice,  than  a 
musical  student  would  be  fit  to  attempt  to  give  a  concert, 
after  a  full  study  of  the  science  of  music,  not  having  had 
any  practice.  A  person's  value  in  any  art  is  in  proportion 
to  the  results  he  can  produce.  Take  the  musical  art  again 
for  comparison.  Two  musicians,  one  of  whom  had  studied 
music  much,  but  has  had  no  practice,  while  the  other  hav- 
ing ne\er  studied  but  having  practiced  much  and  learned 


136  TEXTILE  EDUCATION. 

to  play  v/ell  by  ear  are  in  point.  The  latter  would  be  the 
better  one  of  the  two  to  entertain  a  company  with  some 
examples  of  his  art.  However  much  more  the  technical 
student  knew  about  the  theory  of  music,  his  inability  to 
play  at  all  makes  him  useless  for  the  practical  display  of 
his  art.  On  the  other  hand,  take  a  third  person  who  had 
studied  much  and  had  also  practiced  much.  Such  a  per- 
son would  certainly  lead  either  of  the  others,  being  the 
only  one  of  the  three  with  a  rounded  musical  education. 

As  in  music,  so  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton,  the  prac- 
tical man  without  any  special  education  has  a  good  meas- 
ure of  value.  The  technical  man  without  any  practice  is 
almost  useless.  The  man  who  has  both  education  and 
skill  is  destined  to  be  the  master.  The  youth  who  intends 
to  go  into  textile  pursuits  should  have  a  course  of  study 
and  training  in  which  a  full  and  rounded  education  would 
be  obtained.  Below  will  be  found  the  skeleton  of  two 
such  courses;  one  intended  for  the  youth  who  can  spare 
less  time  and  money  in  getting  education,  the  other  for 
the  youtli  who  can  spare  more  time  and  money. 

As  some  knowledge  and  skill  in  the  machine  business  is 
one  of  the  requisites  in  any  kind  of  manufacturing,  there- 
fore, some  special  time  devoted  to  that  work  is  incorpor- 
ated into  both  courses.  Even  if  this  is  carried  no  further 
than  to  learn  to  run,  with  decent  skill,  a  lathe,  drill  press, 
and  planer,  such  training  will  be  of  great  service.  Manu- 
facturing in  these  modern  times  is  almost  entirely  a  mat- 
ter of  work  done  by  machines.  The  master  of  an  industry 
must  be  fully  competent  in  two  directions,  viz:  (i)  he 
must  be  able  to  understand  the  machines  which  do  the 
different  manufacturing  operations  and  have  the  neces- 
sary skill  to  keep  them  in  order  and  properly  adjusted,  or 
to  direct  the  doing  of  these  things;  (2)  he  must  know  his 
raw  materials  and  their  characteristics,  and  understand  the 
process  of  manufacture.  On  the  basis  of  these  ideas,  the 
courses  cf  study  hereafter  suggested  have  been  formu- 
lated: 


ON 


XfX 

n 

o 
o 


O 

B 

o 


O 
o 


CO 

o 


L^jgunuMU^BBa 


1  IjlMB  IH^^] 


TEXTILE  EDUCATION.  137 

SHORT  COURSE. 

Up  to  15  years  of  age. 

General  education  in  any  of  the  ordinary  schools  in 
all  parts  of  the  country. 

15  to  r6  years  of  age: 

Apprentice  in  a  machine  shop  to  acquire  knowl- 
edge and  practice  in  that  business. 

16  to  1 3  years  of  age: 

In  a  textile  school  to  extend  his  general  knowledge 
and  to  study  textiles  specially. 
18  to  19  years  of  age: 

Apprentice  in  a  cotton  mill  to  become  familiar  with 
and  to  acquire  skill  in  the  process,  and  also  a 
knowledge  of  special  machinery  used  there. 

LONG  OR  FULL  COURSE. 

Up  to  10  years  of  age,  get  a  general  education. 

16  to  17  years  of  age,  work  in  a  machine  shop. 

17  to  21  years  of  age,  study  at  a  college  and  textile  school. 
21  to  22  years  of  age,  go  in  the  mill  as  an  apprentice  for 

practice  in  the  business. 

At  the  end  of  each  of  these  courses,  the  future  of  the 
young  man  will  depend  upon  his  own  talents,  energies,  and 
judgment. 

The  education  of  the  Southern  cotton  planter's  son 
before  the  abolition  of  slavery  was  g  wonderfully  good  one 
for  qualifying  him  to  conduct  a  plantation.  He  grew  up 
on  the  plantation,  he  absorbed  many  of  the  very  best 
features  of  a  special  education,  relating  to  cotton  plant- 
ing. By  contact  he  acquired  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  labor,  the  mules,  the  horses  and  the  other  live  stock. 
He  gained  a  knowdedge  of  the  minute  details  of  every 
phase  of  cotton  planting,  and  of  its  gathering  and  prepa- 
ration for  market.  He  added  to  these  a  few  years  course 
in  college,  and  as  a  perfectly  fresh  graduate,  he  was  ena- 
bled to  take  charge  of  the  plantation  and  to  conduct  it 
with  practical  success.  The  strengthening  value  of  this 
kind  of  education,  combining  practical  training  as  well  as 
college  training  was  exhibited  in  the  success  of  the  South- 


138  TEXTILE  EDUCATION. 

ern  statesmen  in  sustaining  the  dying  institution  of  slavery 
for  an  unusually  long  time,  in  the  face  of  the  adverse 
influence  of  civilization.  The  same  combination  of  study 
and  practice,  applied  now  to  the  manufacture  of  cotton  in 
harmony  with  the  course  of  civilization,  would  undoubt- 
edly produce  wonderful  results. 

Two  and  three  generations  ago  the  people  of  this  coun- 
try possessed  a  valuable  inherited  training  in  the  produc- 
tion of  fabrics.  The  grandmothers  of  most  of  us  could 
spin  and  weave,  and  many  of  them  could  make  fine  goods. 
Perhaps  ^he  finest  fabrics  yet  made  are  those  made  in  the 
East,  where  the  yarn  is  spun  by  hand  on  a  simple  wheel 
and  the  cloth  woven  on  a  loom  that  would  hardly  be 
regarded  in  this  country  as  a  machine  at  all.  Some  Eas- 
tern shawls,  it  is  said,  are  made  so  fine  that  one  of  them 
12  feet  square  may  be  drawn  through  a  finger  ring. 

Reflecting  upon  the  simplicity  of  those  Eastern  people, 
it  becomes  apparent  that  they  have  preserved  a  knowl- 
edge and  kept  themselves  in  a  training  that  our  people  in 
this  western  hemisphere  have  largely  lost  because  of 
dependence  on  machinery.  But  we  have  about  reached 
the  limit  of  what  machines  can  be  made  to  do,  without 
more  intelligent  attendance.  With  an  increasing  under- 
standing, however,  of  the  principles  of  spinning  and  weav- 
ing, the  limits  of  what  machines  may  be  m.ade  to  do  is 
well  nigh  infinite. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  development  of  manufactures 
in  the  United  States,  the  processes  in  the  various  indus- 
tries were,  as  a  rule,  simple,  and  the  practical  man  without 
education  was  the  ruling  factor.  In  this  period  every- 
body boasted  of  being  ''self  made."  Nothing  was  so  cred- 
itable as  to  have  begun  life  on  the  tow-path  of  a  canal. 

This  proved  to  our  ancestors  that  a  man  was  practical, 
and  gave  him  a  value  for  usefulness  over  the  man  who  had 
only  such  a  general  education  as  was  common  to  educa- 
ted people  of  that  time. 

But  as  the  manufacturing  interests  developed,  plants 
and  operations  became  more  complicated.  Increasing 
complications  began  to  demand     knowledge,  as  well  as 


o 
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TEXTILE  EDUCATION.  IS* 

skill.  Then  there  came  a  period  in  which  the  technical 
graduate,  without  practical  training,  and  the  practical 
man  without  education,  each  handicapped  about  equally, 
controverted  as  to  each  other's  merits,  while  each  was 
doing  his  part  towards  keeping  our  manufacturing  inter- 
ests going  forward. 

But  now  all  this  is  changed.  The  man  having  both  edu- 
cation and  training  has  supplanted  all  others.  The  author 
well  remembers,  in  the  Bessemer  steel  business,  a  so-called 
practical  man  used  to  make  the  mixture  of  pig  iron  to 
make  steel.  He  would  break  a  "pig"  from  this  pile  of 
iron,  another  from  that,  and  another  and  another.  He 
would  look  at  them  all  wisely  and  say:  "]\Iake  a  mixture, 
half  out  of  this  pile,  one  quarter  out  of  that,  and  one  quar- 
ter out  of  that,"  designating  the  piles.  Sometimes  these 
mixtures  would  make  fair  steel,  sometimes  very  poor  steel 
and  sometimes  the  resulting  metal  could  not  be  used  at 
all. 

After  ^.while  the  company  fitted  up  a  laboratory  and 
hired  a  chemist.  Great  was  the  contempt  of  the  practical 
men.  And  it  might  be  admitted  that,  in  those  early  days, 
the  chemist  seemed  to  make  about  as  many  mistakes  as 
the  old  fashioned  mixer  made.  It  was  about  like  a  fight 
between  the  old  volunteer  fire  department  with  the  hand 
engine  and  the  department  with  the  steam  fire  engine. 
The  sympathies  and  sentiments  of  many  were  all  with  the 
old  order  of  things.  But  the  new  order  was  bound  to 
come. 

Nowadays  every  steel  plant  has  a  specially  equipped 
laboratory,  physical  and  chemical,  operated  by  men  who 
have  been  through  the  college  and  through  the  mill. 
These  men  can  make  soft  steel  or  hard  steel;  in  fact,  a 
hundred  different  kinds  of  steel,  as  they  may  will.  The 
output  has  increased,  cost  has  decreased,  and  machinery 
has  been  so  improved  that  the  iron  and  steel  industry, 
formerly  requiring  heavy  protective  duties,  is  now  fight- 
ing for  new  trade  in  the  open  markets  of  the  world.  And 
it  comes  to  pass  also  that  we  have  about  lost  sight  of  the 
"self  made"  man,  as  well  as  of  the  awkward  technical  grad- 
uate. 


140  TEXTILE  EDUCATION. 

A  proper  system  of  textile  education  will  bring  the  man- 
ufacture of  cotton  to  the  same  advantageous  condition  in 
this  country  as  has  been  reached  in  the  manufacture  of 
steel.  It  would  be  well  for  all  the  pubHc  schools  in  the 
spinning  and  weaving  districts  to  have  an  equipment  of 
hand  appliances,  spinning  wheels,  looms,  etc.,  and  give 
some  elementary  instructions  in  the  first  principles  of 
spinning-  and  weaving.  This  would  have  a  tendency  to 
develop  natural  tastes  and  show  to  the  pupils  themselves 
who  amongst  them  had  and  who  had  not  any  natural  tal- 
ents for  the  further  prosecution  of  study  and  practice  in 
the  textile  arts. 

While  a  conviction  has  been  growing  among  the  people 
that  a  technical  education  is  valuable,  yet  there  have  been 
many  disappointments  as  to  results.  This  disappoint- 
ment comes  from  two  causes.  Many  young  men  still  think 
that  a  college  course  is  the  whole  of  a  technical  education. 
This  is  a  great  mistake.  A  long  term  of  practice  is  equally 
important.  Others  go  to  a  college  and  take  a  course  rela- 
ting to  one  subject  and  then  get  employment  in  another 
line  of  work.  Metallurgical  course  of  study  cannot  pos- 
sibly fit  a  man  for  the  direction  of  textile  manufacture. 

The  division  of  various  departments  of  manufacturing 
are  becoming  more  and  more  defined,  and  each  now 
requires  a  special  education  in  itself. 

In  the  cotton  producing  States  especially,  this  subject 
of  textile  education  is  one  of  most  vital  importance.  It 
will  make'  the  difference  between  affluence  and  poverty. 
In  the  production  of  cotton,  the  competition  is  becoming 
very  sharp.  The  margin  for  cutting  the  cost  to  keep 
ahead  of  India  and  Egypt  has  become  exceedingly  small. 
The  certainty  of  continuing  in  control  of  the  production 
of  cotton  by  the  United  States  lies  in  increasing  our 
knowledge  and  skill  in  manufacture,  and  by  this  means 
increasing  the  quality  and  quantity  of  our  manufactured 
cotton  goods. 

Textile  schools  should  receive  and  teach  young  women 
as  well  as  young  men.  It  should  be  kept  in  mind  that,  in 
former  times,  women  did  well  nigh  all  the  spinning  and 


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TEXTILE  EDUCATION.  141 

weaving.  In  the  cotton  mills  of  the  present  day,  probably 
more  than  than  half  the  operatives  are  women  and  girls. 
In  all  departments  of  textile  manufactures  women  have 
shown  about  as  much  skill  and  capacity  as  men.  In 
making  the  finer  goods  there  would  come  much  occupa- 
tion that  would  be  suitable  for  women  of  education  and 
refinement.  For  example,  the  designing  of  fancy  pat- 
terns, such  as  appear  in  lace  curtains  and  in  the  finer  qual- 
ities of  dress  goods  requires  not  only  education  and  talent, 
but  artistic  tastes  as  well.  There  are  many  other  channels 
in  which  the  services  of  the  better  educated  young  men 
and  women  could  be  employed  with  dignity  and  profit  to 
themselves  and  to  manufacturers,  if  their  education  could 
be  so  directed  as  to  incorporate  a  practical  knowledge  and 
skill  in  the  textile  art  in  its  higher  branches. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IRoat)  Built)ing  anD  BroaO  ^iree. 

The  developments  of  manufactures  makes  at  once  a 
population  that  becomes  consumers  of  food  stuffs  and 
other  country  produce.  This  of  course  very  much  in- 
creases the  uses  made  of  public  roads,  and  emphasizes  the 
necessity  of  good  roads.  The  improvement  of  roads  is 
made  more  feasible  and  easy,  because  of  increased  taxes 
paid  by  the  manufacturers  and  their  operatives,  much  of 
which  can  be  expended  upon  roads.  Wherever  manufac- 
tures are  started,  the  question  of  good  roads  commences 
to  receive  fuller  attention  than  ever  before.  Therefore, 
it  seems  proper  to  give  a  chapter  on  the  subject  of  road 
building. 

The  question  of  good  roads  is  not  one  of  construction 
alone,  but  of  development  and  maintenance  as  well.  The 
first  settlers  of  the  various  American  States  were  unable 
to  spend  much  money  or  labor  on  road-making,  but  had  to 
be  content  with  clearing  away  the  forest  from  a  strip  of 
ground  twenty  or  thirty  feet  wide,  which  they  called  a 
road.  In  sparsely-settled  counties  in  some  States  to-day 
this  simple  method  of  opening  a  way  through  a  forest,  at 
a  cost  of  from  $20  to  $100  per  mile,  may  be  a  heavier  bur- 
den upon  the  community  than  the  construction  of  a  line  of 
railway  in  some  other  section  at  a  cost  of  $20,000  per  mile. 
Between  these  limits  of  expenditure  discretion  must  be 
exercised  as  to  the  best  kind  of  road  that  the  amount  and 
character  of  trafific  will  warrant. 

Since  most  inhabitable  places  have  become  supplied  with 
roads  of  some  sort,  questions  of  original  construction  will 
not  arise  as  often  as  plans  for  improvement.  Assuming 
that  a  given  community  has  reached  that  condition  of 
developnjent  where  its  traffic  has  become  important  in  vol- 
ume and  value,  while  its  roads  have  been  growing  impas- 
sable through  bad  usage — for  this  is  generally  the  condi- 
tion of  things  that  excites  interest  in  the  road  question — 
what  is  to  be  done?     The  question  is  too  broad  to  permit 


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ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES.  143 

any  answer  that  will  be  generally  applicable,  so  various  are 
the  conditions  of  topography,  the  materials  available,  the 
amount  of  road  funds,  the  state  of  the  roads  to  be 
improved  and  the  character  of  the  traffic. 

Combination  of  Road  and  Vehicle. 

It  is  important  at  the  outset  to  reahze  that  the  highway 
alone  does  not  afford  a  means  of  transportation,  but  the 
road  and  the  vehicles  combined  constitute  transportation 
facilities.  Hence,  in  the  construction  of  either  a  road  or 
a  vehicle,  regard  should  be  had  for  the  effect  of  the  one 
upon  the  other;  neither  should  be  made  in  such  a  way  as 
to  destroy  the  other.  The  sole  of  the  human  foot  is  broad 
enough  to  pack  the  soil  into  a  hard,  smooth  surface,  so 
that  use,  instead  of  destroying  a  foot-path,  usually 
improves  it.  The  old  Indian  trails,  developed  by  this 
means  alone,  were,  for  the  Indian,  far  better  highways  than 
the  average  modern  roads  for  the  people  who  travel  upon 
them.  !\lost  of  our  roads  have  been  cut  up  by  narrow- 
tired  wheels,  which  soon  produce  ruts,  the  bottoms  of 
which  are  the  most  compact  part  of  the  road.  In  such  ruts 
the  wide  tire  wedges  in  between  the  sides,  making  the 
broad-lired  wheel  pull  heavy.  The  narrow-tire,  on  the 
other  hand,  cuts  most  easily  through  the  soft  mud  to  the 
bottom,  not  wedging  on  the  sides,  and  therefore  pulls 
lightest.  Consequently  the  mistaken  conviction  prevails 
in  places  that  the  narrow  tire  is  the  better  one,  though  its 
easy  pulhng  applies  only  on  roads  which  have  been  cut  up 
by  the  vehicle  itself.  But  if  broad  tires  had  always  been 
used,  the  point  of  contact  of  the  vehicle  with  the  road  cov- 
ering enough  surface  to  make  the  vehicle  pack  the  track 
it  passed  over,  the  result  of  usage  might  have  been  the 
consta^it  improvement  of  the  road.  There  are,  of  course, 
soils  too  soft  to  support  tires  of  any  practicable  width, 
making  necessary  artificial  road-beds. 

Mecklenburg  County  Roads. 

For  the  reason  that  the  County  of  Mecklenburg  in 
North  Carolina,  has,  for  some  time,  been  engaged  in  solv- 
ing the  good  roads 'problem,  it  may  be  of  interest  to 
recount  brieflv  the  historv  of  her  road  buildins:. 


144  ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES. 

About  1 8  years  ago,  the  mayor  of  the  city  of  Charlotte, 
N.  C,  the  late  Col.  WilHam  Johnston,  inaugurated  a 
*  movement  to  have  the  streets,  which  up  to.  that  time  had 
been  clay  roads,  macadamized.  The  plan  adopted  was 
to  have  stone  broken  by  hand  and  laid  on  the  streets  to  a 
depth  of  six  or  eight  inches,  after  making  an  equivalent 
excavation.  With  an  expenditure  of  $25,000  about  five 
miles  of  streets  were  put  in  fair  condition.  The  work  has 
been  continued  under  successive  administrations,  with  a 
continual  improvement  in  methods,  and  the  city  now  owns 
a  well-equipped  rock-crushing  plant,  the  crushing  of  rock 
by  hand  having  been  abandoned. 

As  street-building  in  Charlotte  progressed,  the  author- 
ities of  Mecklenburg  county  took  up  the  problem  of 
improving  the  highways  outside  of  the  city.  The  first 
important  step  was  to  secure  from  the  State  Legislature 
authority  to  levy  a  road  tax  of  from  7  to  20  cents  on  each 
$100  worth  of  taxable  property. 

The  next  step  in  the  history  of  the  good  roads  move- 
ment here  was  to  secure  the  passage,  through  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State,  of  a  law  authorizing  the  county  com- 
missioners to  take  charge  of  all  convicts  sentenced  by 
the  city  and  county  courts,  the  punishment  for  many 
offenses  being  a  fine  or  so  many  days'  work  on  the  public 
roads.  It  is  thought  that  this  is  the  best  possible  disposi- 
tion that  can  be  made  of  the  convicts,  as  they  are  not  then 
brought  into  direct  competition  with  honest,  free  labor, 
while  their  work  inures  to  the  direct  benefit  of  the  public. 

The  Legislature  of  1897  placed  the  road  construction  by 
convicts  in  the  county,  outside  the  city  of  Charlotte,  in  the 
hands  of  a  commission  created  for  that  special  purpose, 
known  as  the  Mecklenburg  "Road  and  Convict  Commis- 
sion." This  commission  consists  of  three  persons,  who 
have  complete  charge  of  the  convict  camps  and  the  road 
building  carried  on  by  the  county.  The  work  of  the  com- 
mission does  not  interfere  in  any  way  with  the  work  each 
township  may  be  doing,  the  act  creating  the  commission 
having  only  given  it  the  same  powers  and  duties  as  the 
county  commissioners  possessed  under  the  original  system. 

The  Legislature  of  1899  abolished  the  Road  Commis- 


ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES.  145 

sion,  and  put  the  road  construction  by  the    county  again 
in  charge  of  the  County  Commissioners. 

To  summarize  all  that  the  county  is  now  doing  in  the 
way  of  building,  reconstructing  and  repairing  streets  and 
roads,  it  will  be  found  convenient  to  classify  the  work  into 
three  departments. 

1.  In  the  city  of  Charlotte,  under  the  direction  of  the 
city  council,  the  mayor,  city  engineer,  and  supervisor  of 
the  streets.     The  work  is  paid  for  out  of  the  city  treasury. 

2.  In  the  county  at  large,  under  the  direction  of  the 
county  commissioners,  the  county  engineer,  and  the  super- 
intendent of  the  convict  camp.  All  the  proceeds  of  the 
county  road-tax  are  disbursed  by  this  board  in  reconstruc- 
ting roads. 

3.  In  each  township,  through  its  board  of  trustees,  are 
expended  for  local  work  in  road-repairing,  the  proceeds  of 
the  road-tax  raised  within  the  township. 

The  cost  of  a  road  outfit  is  about  $5,000,  and  consists  of 
a  steam  roller,  crusher,  bins,  portable  engine,  road 
machine,  and  a  screen  made  of  boiler  plate  perforated  to 
separate  the  crushed  stones  into  three  sizes.  The  city  of 
Charlotte  owns  a  road  outfit,  Charlotte  township  owns 
one,  and  the  County  Commissioners  own  two. 

The  stone  is  broken  or  crushed  and  separated  by  the 
screen  into  three  sizes,  the  largest  being  about  i^  inches 
square.  In  practice,  the  coarser  stone  is  laid  on  the  bot- 
tom to  depth  of  four  inches;  the  second  size  is  laid  next, 
three  inches  thick,  and  the  fine  stuff  is  used  for  a  top  dress- 
ing of  about  two  inches.  Each  of  the  three  layers  is  rolled 
as  laid. 

OriginLlly  the  county  roads  were  constructed  by  round- 
ing up  the  road  bed,  cutting  drain  ditches  on  either  side, 
excavating  the  centre  to  a  width  of  twelve  feet — nine 
inches  in  depth,  and  then  filling  in  the  excavated  portion 
with  stone  broken  by  hand  on  the  road-bed.  The  system 
has  now  been  developed  until  not  only  is  the  stone  broken 
by  steam  power,  but  the  roads  are  often  re-located  and 


146 


ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES. 


Road  with  Macadam  in  Centre. 


graded,  becoming  practically  new  roads.  The  above 
engraving  shows  a  cross  section  of  a  road  bed,  as  originally 
constructed. 

Experience,  however,  taught  the  road  authorities  that, 
when  the  roads  were  dry,  the  clay-bed  was  preferred  by  all 
drivers,  and  the  location  of  the  macadam  in  the  middle  of 
the  road,  left  either  side  too  narrow  for  vehicles.  Hence,  in 
attempting  to  use  the  clay  bed,  the  wheels  of  one  side  of  a 
vehicle  were  always  in  the  drainage  ditch,  which  ruined  it. 
This  experience  led  to  the  construction  of  the  road  bed,  as 
shown  in  the  next  engraving,  omitting  the  paved  gutters 
except  where  absolutely  necessary.  On  this  road-bed,  the 
macadam  way  can  be  used  in  the  winter  season,  and  the 
clay  road  in  the  summer.  Besides  the  greater  comfort  of 
driving  over  the  clay  in  summer,  the  macadam  is  protec- 
ted from  the  unnecessary  wear  and  tear  of  summer  traffic. 


Fig.  52. — Road  with  Macadam  at  One  Side. 


The  result  of  the  work  outlined  here  has  been  to  lift 
Charlotte  out  of  the  mud,  and  to  make  it  a  city  of  very 
clean  streets  and  attractive  appearance.  In  the  county  it 
has  greatly  increased  the  accessibiHty  of  markets  to  the 
farmers,  besides  furnishing  attractive  drives  for  the  people 
of  both  city  and  country.  All  this  has  been  brought  about 
within  a  few  years,  without  any  appreciable  burdens  upon 
the  people,  in  a  section  where,  from  time  immemorial,  the 
road-beds  might  have  been  compared  to  the  tempering- 
pits  of  a  brickyard. 

But  the  advantages  just  enumerated  do  not  tell  the 


ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES.  147 

whole  iitory.  The  stone  used  in  macadamizing  is  mostly 
furnished  by  the  farmers  after  they  have  finished  cultiva- 
ting their  crops.  The  price  paid  to  them  is  40  cents  per 
cubic  yard.  The  stone  is  delivered  by  them  and  stacked 
up  at  convenient  points  on  the  road. 

Convict  Labor. 

Working  convicts  on  the  roads  is  regarded  with  great 
favor.  The  reports  of  the  road  authorities  show  that  the 
cost  of  feeding,  clothing,  and  guarding  convicts  amounts 
to  something  hke  25  cents  per  day  for  each  convict.  It 
has  been  found  that,  by  buying  provisions  at  wholesale, 
the  convicts  may  be  fed  and  guarded,  while  at  work  on  the 
roads,  at  less  cost  than  the  county  pays  for  their  board 
with  the  county  jailor. 

In  nine  months  of  recent  road  building,  ninety  convicts 
moved  36,247  cubic  yards  of  earth  on  the  roads  per  month, 
crushed  and  placed  four  and  one-third  miles  of  macadam, 
twelve  feet  wide,  besides  building  and  repairing  live 
bridges.  The  total  cost  of  this  work,  including  salaries, 
machinery  account,  and  material  was  $14,076.52.  The 
convict  camp  is  moved  three  or  four  times  a  year.  In 
summer,  canvass  tents  are  used.  In  winter,  the  sides  of 
the  barracks  are  boarded  up,  leaving  the  cover  of  canvas. 
A  camp  is  located  about  midway  in  a  stretch  of  four  miles 
of  road  to  be  built.  Thus  the  greatest  distance  to  and 
from  work  for  the  convicts  is  about  two  miles  The  aver- 
age distance  is  about  one  mile.  At  present,  it  is  regarded 
as  more  economical  to  have  50  to  60  convicts  in  a  camp,  as 
that  number  is  all  that  is  needed  to  manage  one  road-mak- 
ing outfit. 

Cost  of  Road  Building. 

The  macadam  roads  that  were  built  in  Mecklenburg  15 
years  ago  cost  between  $2,700  and  $4,000  per  mile,  accord- 
ing to  the  amount  and  kind  of  grading  required.  The 
roads  now  cost  from  $1,600  to  $2,500  per  mile,  exclusive  of 
bridges. 

For  a  12  feet  wide  macadam  road  with  9  inches  thick 
metal,  the  cost  is  about  as  follows. 


148  ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES. 

Cost  of  Stone  quarried  or  purchased   from  farmers 

or  others,  i  cubic  yard 40 

Crushing- 20 

HauHng  and  Laying 20 

RolHng 10 

Ecavating   Bed   10 

Total $1.00 

This  I  cubic  yard  will  make  a  lineal  yard  of  road,  12  feet 
wide  and  9''  thick.  Therefore  the  total  cost  of  such  a  road 
well  made,  excepting  only  grading,  would  be  per  mile 
$1760.00.  The  grading  might  cost  anything  from  one  to 
two  hundred  dollars  for  ditching  in  a  comparatively  level 
country,  up  to  sums  ranging  from  500  to  1,000  dollars  per 
mile,  in  hilly  or  rolUng  country. 

The  average  grading  per  mile  in  Mecklenburg  county 
in  a  hilly  country,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  would 
probably  be  about  500  dollars  per  mile.  This  average  cost 
of  gradirg  would  make  the  average  mile  of  graded  and 
macadamized  road  $2260.00.  This  is  exclusive  of  bridges. 
For  different  widths  and  thicknesses  the  figures  would 
run  about  as  follows  exclusive  of  grading  and  bridges: 


Thickness  of  Macadam. 

Per  Mile. 

Cost. 

12  feet  wide. 

Per  Mile. 

Cost. 
9  feet  wide. 

9  inches. 
8  inches. 
6  inches. 
4  inches. 

$1,760 
1,600 
1,250 
1,000 

$1,350 
1,200 

In  New  Jersey,  considerable  work  is  being  done  in  build- 
ing roads  9  feet  wide  and  8"  thick,  also  some  9  feet  wide 
and  6"  thick,  and  some  experimental  roads  even  as  light 
as  4"  thick,  where  the  wagon  traffic  is  Hght  and  the  bicy- 
cle traffic  large. 

Sand  or  good  clay  seems  to  make  good  foundations, 
provided  the  drainage  is  always  good.     With  all  vehicles 


ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES.  149 

provided  with  wide  tires  the  8"  and  6"  thick  macadam 
seems  to  do  as  well  as,  or  even  better  than  the  12"  with 
narrow  tires. 

Cost  of  Roadmaking  Outfit. 

The  cost  of  a  roadmaking  outfit  has  already  been 
referred  to.  The  following  table  may  be  found  interesting 
to  those  who  are  thinking  of  embarking  in  the  business  of 
building  better  roads,  as  it  includes  all  the  machinery  and 
equipment  necessary  for  beginning  the  work  as  now  car- 
ried on  in  Mecklenburg  county: 

I  20  H.  P.  Portable  Boiler  and  Engine  and  i 
Stone  Crusher — capacity  per  hour,  15  to  20 
tons — I  Boiler  Plate  Screen  and  Elevator  $2,000.00 

I  Horse  Roller,  Stone 500.00 

10   Mules    1,250.00 

5  Wagons    250.00 

Tents  'ind  Camp  Equipments 500.00 

Blacksmith  Outfit  and   other   Small   Tools  and 

Harness 3,000.00 


$7,500.00 


In  order  to  begin  road  building,  however,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  have  a  stone  crushing  plant.  Much  good  macadam 
road  has  been  made  by  cracking  stone  with  hammers. 
Roads  may  be  much  improved  without  the  expense  of 
macadam.  The  important  thing  for  any  county  is  that  a 
start  should  be  made  in  road  improvement  by  working  a 
regular  force  all  the  time.  This  force  may  be  convicts  or 
free  labor.  If  a  beginning  is  once  made,  the  people  will  be 
sure  to  mcrease  the  force,  and  to  do  more  and  more  road 
building  as  time  passes. 

Mecklenburg  Road  Tax. 

The  present  county  road  tax  in  Mecklenburg  is  18  cents 
on  $100  taxable  property.  This  raises  nearly  $20,000 
each  year.  This  fund  is  expended  in  Imilding  macadam 
roads  by  working  the  convicts.  In  addition  to  this  tax, 
each  towiship  levies  a  special  road  tax.  usually  7  cents  on 


150  ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES. 

$100  taxable  property.  But  some  of  the  townships  levy 
more  than  this;  notably  Steel  Creek,  Berry  hill,  and  Prov- 
idence, which  levy  15  cents,  and  Paw  Creek  which  levies 
12^  cents.  All  the  road  funds  of  the  townships  are 
expended  under  the  direction  of  the  township  trustees  in 
improving  the  roads  within  their  several  territories. 

In  addition  to  the  $20,000  road  fund  raised  in  1898  by 
the  18  cents  tax,  the  county  commissioners  of  Mecklen- 
burg supplemented  the  fund  about  $13,000.  This 
enabled  them  to  spend  nearly  $34,000  in  building 
macadam  roads  alone. 

Mecklenburg  county  now  has  more  than  55  miles  of 
macadam  roads.  Forty  miles  of  this  are  in  Charlotte 
township,  and  15  miles  on  roads  outside  of  Charlotte 
township.  But  all  the  roads  leading  from  the  city  of 
Charlotte  are  being  rapidly  macadamized  and  improved. 

The  making  of  good  roads  does  not  depend  on  the 
possession  of  any  special  material,  such  as  the  so-called 
granite  of  Mecklenburg  county.  In  every  locahty  in  the 
United  States,  there  may  be  found  good  material  of 
various  kinds  for  making  roads.  The  principal  point  is 
the  proper  separation  and  application  of  these  materials. 

Good  roads  may  be  built  of  clay,  limestone,  gravel, 
shells,  sandstone  or  any  other  stone  available.  The  first 
requisite  is  drainage.  This  is  usually  by  ditches  on  each 
side  of  the  road;  but  a  vast  improvement  is  the  addition 
of  a  drain  under  the  centre  of  the  road.  This  should  be 
made  of  a  porous  tiling.  The  next  requisite  is  assorting 
the  material,  the  largest  pieces  being  put  at  bottom,  the 
smallest  at  top  and  being  finally  dressed  with  the  fine  par- 
ticles made  in  crushing.  Each  layer  should  be  rolled 
with  a  heavy  road  roller. 

There  are  fifteen  townships  in  Mecklenburg  county. 
These  townships  build  no  macadam  roads,  but  keep  in 
repair  those  built  by  the  county  and  also  keep  the  dirt 
roads  in  repair.  Only  free  labor  is  employed  by  the  town- 
ships. 

In  Mecklenburg  county  it  is  considered  important  to 
avoid  small  wooden  bridges,  and  to  use  terra-cotta  drains 


ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES.  151 

instead.  It  is  also  believed  that  a  depth  of  five  inches  of 
macadam  would  give  as  good  service  as  the  nine  inches 
now  used,  if  broad-tired  vehicles  were  insisted  upon  and 
the  needed  repairs  were  made  upon  the  first  appearance 
of  a  break. 

From  experiments  on  various  roads  and  grades,  the 
U.  S.  Agricultural  Department  derives  the  following: 

TABLE  SHOWINGPULLIN  POUNDSREQUIRED 
TO  MOVE  A  WAGON  LOADED  WITH  ONE 
TON  (2,000  LBS.)  ON  VARIOUS  KINDS  OF 
ROADS. 

Iron  Rails 8  pounds 

Asphalt   26 

Macadam    38 

Best  Gravel 51 

Cobble  Stones    54 

Dry  Clay 98 

Loose  Sand    320 

TABLE  SHOWING  PULL  PER  TON  ON  VARIOUS 
GRADES  OF  MACADAM  ROADS. 

Level   38  pounds 

I  per  cent,  grade 42 

78 

93 

118 

138 

162 

10        "         "  .238 

One  horse  can  without  injury  exert  a  pull  of  100 pounds 
for  ten  hours  a  day,  walking  at  the  rate  of  2^  miles  an 
hour.  Thus  one  horse  can  haul  a  ton  up  a  3  per  cent, 
macadam  grade  with  the  same  ease  that  he  could  haul  it 
on  a  level  clay  road,  and  with  the  same  ease  that  three 
horses  could  haul  it  in  sand. 

The  New  York  Highway  Manual  estimates  the  value  of 
good  roads  at  $1.25  per  year  per  acre  of  surrounding  land, 


2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

m2  ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES. 

and  that  this  amount  per  acre  would  pay  for  all  the  roads 
in  one  year. 

The  Public  Roads  of  the  United  States. 

The  Missouri  Experiment  Station  has  estimated  that 
the  public  roads  of  the  United  States  aggregate  1,500,000 
miles  in  length,  and  estimates  the  total  wagon  transporta- 
tion of  the  country  at  500,000,000  tons  yearly;  that  the 
average  distance  of  the  haul  is  nearly  8  miles,  that  the 
average  cost  of  transportation  is  about  $2  per  ton  for  this 
eight  miles,  making  the  cost  of  wagon  freight  $1,000,- 
000,000  yearly.  It  is  claimed  that  this  freight  could  be 
transported  the  distance  of  eight  miles  over  first-class 
roads  at  an  average  cost  of  80  cents  per  ton,  thus  saving 
$600,000,000  in  the  cost  of  wagon  transportation.  This 
saving  would  be  equal  to  one  fourth  the  total  value  of  all 
the  farm  products  of  the  country  in  the  year  1898. 

Road  Repairs. 

The  same  authority  says  that  the  sum  of  $20,000,000 
is  expended  each  year  for  the  maintenance  of  our  public 
roads  outside  the  cities.  This  does  not  include  the  cost 
of  permanent  improvements.  Thus  at  the  end  of  the  year, 
after  the  expenditure  of  $20,000,000,  the  roads  of  the 
country  are  no  better  than  they  were  before  this  vast  sum 
was  expended.  And  the  tax-payers  may  go  on  paying 
this  enormous  sum  of  $20,000,000  on  their  roads  each  year 
under  the  present  system  without  securing  improved 
roads!  All  improvements  must  come  from  expenditures 
above  this  amount,  from  changes  in  the  methods  of  repair- 
ing the  highways  or  from  the  more  careful  use  of  them 
after  they  are  repaired.  These  facts  at  once  show  that 
the  maintenance  of  our  public  highways  is  a  serious  prob- 
lem, involving  the  expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money. 

The  road  trustees  of  Charlotte  township  find  it  neces- 
sary to  expend  $330  a  mile  every  five  years  in  repairing 
their  roads.  To  be  accurate,  it  takes  350  yards  of  stone 
costing  40  cents  per  yard  or  $140  per  mile  for  the  stone 
alone  every  five  years.  In  addition  to  the  above,  there  is 
the  cost  of  spiking,  distributing,  rolling,  crushing,  har- 


O 

o 


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ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES.  153 

rowing  and  other  labor,  making  the  aggregate  cost  of 
repairs  for  one  mile  $330. 

Careful  observation  teaches  them  that,  with  the  use  of 
broad  tires  on  their  macadam  roads,  this  heavy  expense  of 
repairing  could  be  done  away  with  in  a  large  measure,  as 
the  roads  would  not  need  repairing  oftener  than  once 
•every  15  years,  thus  saving  two-thirds  of  the  cost  of  repair 
now  expended. 

In  all  suggestions  for  road  improvements,  much  atten- 
tion has  been  paid  to  the  advantages  to  be  obtained  from 
the  use  of  broad  tires  instead  of  the  narrow  tires  so  gener- 
ally used.  It  is  admitted  by  all  who  have  studied  and 
investigated  the  road  problem  that  narrow  tired  wheels 
are  most  destructive  to  streets,  macadam,  gravel,  dirt 
roads,  fields,  meadows,  pastures,  and  farms.  The  intro- 
duction in  recent  years  of  the  wide  tired  metallic  wheel, 
at  about  the  price  usually  paid  for  the  ordinary  narrow 
tired  wheels,  has  removed  one  very  serious  objection  to 
the  proposed  substitution  of  broad  for  narrow  tires. 

Broad  Tire  Tests. 

The  Agricultural  College  of  Missouri  has  recently  made 
numerous  tests,  which  prove  conclusively  that  the  draft 
of  wide-tired  vehicles  is  less  than  those  having  narrow 
tires.  Yet  there  remains  in  the  minds  of  many  intelligent 
farmers  and  teamsters  a  well  defined  conviction  that  the 
wide  tire  will  draw  very  much  heavier  than  the  narrow 
tire  over  roads  in  what  may  be  termed  the  average  condi- 
tion. To  remove  all  doubts  on  this  point,  and  to  secure 
reliable  information  relative  to  the  question  under  discus- 
sion, the  following  tests  were  made.  They  were  made 
with  1 1  inch  and  6  inch  tires  on  dirt,  gravel  and  macadam 
roads,  carefully  comparing  the  draft  of  each  vehicle  under 
the  conditions  above  specified. 

As  it  was  proposed  to  have  these  trials  cover  an  entire 
year  in  order  to  be  certain  that  they  embraced  all  condi- 
tions of  road  surface  usually  found,  the  work  was  begun 
early  in  January,  1896,  and  was  continued  without  inter- 
ruption to  September,  1897,  a  period  of  more  than  20 
months.     The  tests  were  made  with  a  Giddings  self-recor- 


154  ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES. 

ding  dynamometer,  registering  a  maximum  strain  of  3,000 
pounds,  reading  to  approximately  five  pounds.  Prof.  C. 
M.  Conner  and  Mr.  D.  W.  May,  of  the  Missouri  Experi- 
ment Station,  conducted  the  tests. 

The  vehicles  used  had  tires  as  follows:  "The  narrow 
wheels  were  standard  width,  inch  and  a  half  tire,  such  as 
are  made  for  the  ordinary  wagon.  The  wide  tired 
wheels  were  metallic  with  six  inch  tires,  cast  to  fit  the 
spindles  of  the  wagon  with  narrow  tired  wheels.  Many 
of  the  trials  were  made  with  the  same  wagon,  the  wheels 
being  changed.  In  all  cases  the  same  net  load,  2,000 
pounds  v.'as  hauled.  The  wide  tired  wheels  weighed 
nearly  250  pounds  more  than  the  narrow  tired  wheels 
but  the  net  load  of  the  two  wagons  was  the  same.  Both 
sets  of  wheels  were  the  same  height. 

Care  was  taken  each  month  to  test  the  readings  of  the 
dynamometer  with  Fairbank's  scales.  The  minimum, 
length  of  run  was  200  feet  and  return,  in  many  cases 
increased  to  400  feet,  sometimes  to  600  feet.  Care  was 
also  taken  in  each  test,  to  have  the  speed  of  the  teams 
uniform,  about  2|  miles  per  hour. 

TEST  ON  MACADAM  STREET. 

Hard  , smooth,  nearly  level,  and  comparatively  free  from 
dust,  loose  stone  and  sand.     Length  of  runs  400  feet. 

Trial  made  August  29,  1896.  Average  draft- 
Narrow  tire 99.4  pounds. 

Wide  tire 73.4       " 

Difference  in  favor  of  broad  tires 26.0       " 

Percentage  difference 35-7 

Trial  made  September  12,  1896.  Average  draft. 

Narrow  tire 143-5  pounds. 

Wide  tires   123.4 

Difference  in  favor  of  broad  tire 20.1 

Percentage  difference 16.3 

Contrary  to  what  was  expected  by  many,  the  broad  tire- 
pulled  lighter  on  the  hard,  smooth  surface  of  the  macadam 


ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD)  TIRES.  155 

road,  there  being  an  average  difference  of  26  per  cent,  in 
favor  of  the  wide  tire. 

TEST  ON  A  DIRT  ROAD. 

''Dry,  hard,  free  from  ruts  and  dust,  nearly  level.  Trial 
made  August  28,  1896.     Length  of  run,  400  feet. 

Average  draft. 

Narrow  tires 137-3  pounds 

Broad  tires 104.8       " 

Difference  in  favor  of  broad  tires 32.5       " 

Percentage  difference  in  favor  of  broad  tires     31.0      " 

TEST  ON  CLAY  ROAD. 

Mud  deep,  stiff,  and  beginning  to  dry  on  the  surface. 
At  one  end  of  the  run  was  soft  mud,  on  which  water  was 
standing.  The  narrow  tire  made  a  rut  7  inches  deep. 
Length  of  run  400  feet.     Trial  made  March  19,  1897. 

Average  draft. 

Narrow  tires 825.3  pounds. 

Broad  tires 551-9         " 

Difference  in  favor  of  broad  tires 273.4         " 

Percentage  difference    49.3         " 

Clay  road.  Muddy,  slightly  frozen  on  top,  but  not 
enough  to  bear  the  load  on  either  set  of  wheels.  Narrow 
tires  made  ruts  12  inches  deep  in  places.  Length  of  run 
400  feet. 

Average  draft. 

Narrow  tires 549-0  pounds. 

Broad   tires    447-6         " 

Difference  in  favor  of  broad  tires 101.4        " 

Percentage  difference    22.0        " 

The  Missouri  experiments,  covering  a  period  of  two 
years,  discovered  that  there  were  only  two  conditions  of 
the  dirt  roads  in  which  there  was  any  advantage  in  having 
narrow-tired  vehicles,  viz:  when  soft  (either  muddy  or 
very  dusty)  on  the  surface  and  hard  underneath;  and  when 


156  ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES. 

the  run  was  deep  and  sticky  so  that  both  sets  of  wheels 
cut  deep  ruts  and  the  mud  adhered  to  the  wheels.  Say 
the  Missouri  authorities:  "It  is  unquestionably  true 
that  when  we  consider  the  entire  tonnage  freighted  over 
any  ordinary  dirt  road  during  the  year,  the  total  amount 
of  work  required  would  be  very  much  less,  if  the  six  inch 
tires  were  used  instead  of  the  narrow  tires  now  in  vogue." 
There  is  not  much  doubt  but  that  in  the  matter  of  draft 
alone  the  Missouri  tests  show  an  average  advantage  in 
favor  of  the  broad  tires  of  something  like  25  to  30  per 
cent.  Add  to  this  advantage  of  draft,  the  immense 
advantage  in  preserving  the  road  beds  that  would  ensue 
by  the  use  of  broad  tires  and  the  argument  seems  to  be 
conclusive  that  the  narrow  tires  should  go. 

A  very  intelligent  Mecklenburg  county  farmer  suggests 
that  broad  tires  and  wheels  of  uniform  size  would  lessen 
still  further  the  draft  of  all  loaded  vehicles.  In  other  words 
he  contends  that  the  draft  of  a  vehicle  whose  hind  wheels 
are  the  same  diameter  as  the  fore  wheels  will  require  less 
motive  power  under  the  unusual  conditions.  This  ques- 
tion might  be  worth  practical  investigation. 

Combination  of  Road  and  Vetiicle. 

The  question  of  transportation  is  not  one  of  road  con- 
struction alone.  The  road  bed,  the  vehicle,  and  the 
motive  power  are  all  prime  factors,  entering  into  the  prob- 
lem and  bearing  an  intimate  relation  to  each  other. 

The  road  bed  should  not  make  undue  demands  upon  the 
vehicles  and  the  motive  power,  nor  should  the  vehicles  be 
so  constructed  as  to  be  unduly  destructive  to  the  road 
bed.  Civilized  people  always  find  a  way  to  utilize  all  the 
factors  of  transportation  to  the  best  advantage. 

In  new  and  undeveloped  countries  like  Mexico  the  road 
bed  is  often  a  mountain  path,  and  the  vehicle  and  motive 
power  a  native.  In  more  progressive  communities,  a  con- 
dition is  reached  where  common  dirt  roads,  ordinary  vehi- 
cles, and  mules  and  horses  are  employed  in  transportation. 
The  next  step  in  road  progress  is  where  the  wide  tired 
vehicle  and  the  macadam  road  are  used.  Ultimately  the 
more  populous  communities  will  reach  the  asphalt  road 


ROAD  BUILDING  AND  BROAD  TIRES.  157 

bed  and  pneumatic  tired  automobile,  whose  motive  power 
is  either  electricity  or  compressed  air,  as  is  now  the  case 
in  some  parts  of  New"  York  city.  In  the  latter  case,  the 
perfection  of  road  building  is  reached,  and  when  the 
asphalt  road  bed.  the  pneumatic  tire,  and  the  motive 
power  now^  used  under  such  conditions  are  all  perfected, 
the  cost  of  transportation  will  be  reduced  to  the  minimum. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

nDi6C€llaneou0, 

Insurance  and  Fire  Protection. 

Cotton  mill  insurance  is  now  practically  all  written 
either  by  "The  New  England  Factory  jMutuals,"  or  by 
"The  Factory  Insurance  Association."  The  former  is  a 
combination  of  purely  mutual  insurance  companies, 
formed  among  the  mill  owners  of  New  England,  and  orig- 
inally designed  to  insure  only  the  cotton  mills  in  that  dis- 
trict, which  were  members  of   the   insurance    companies. 

The  business  was  afterward  extended  to  such  outside 
mills  as  would  agree  to  build  and  equip  in  a  certain  pre- 
scribed manner.  There  are  two  Conferences  of  these 
companies,  known  as  the  "Senior  Conference,"  composed 
of  the  older  companies,  and  operating  principally  in  New 
England,  and  to  a  smaller  extent  in  the  South;  and  the 
"Junior  Conference,"  operating  in  the  South  and  West, 
and  to  a  smaller  extent  in  New  England. 

The  mutual  companies  charge  a  rate  of  75  hundredths 
of  one  per  cent.,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  declare  divi- 
dends to  the  policy  holders,  which  reduce  the  actual  cost 
of  insurance  in  New  England  to  10  or  25  hundredths  of 
one  per  cent.,  and  in  the  South  15  to  35  hundredths.  The 
amounts  vary  according  to  losses  sustained  by  the  com- 
panies composing  the  conference. 

Each  of  the  conferences  is  composed  of  about  ten  mu- 
tual companies.  Two  or  three  of  the  mutual  companies 
belong  to  both  conferences. 

The  Factory  Insurance  Association,  is  a  combination  of 
strong  stock  companies,  with  large  capital  and  the  high- 
est credit  and  standing.  It  has  one  general  office  and  one 
general  manager.  The  principal  business  is  with  cotton 
mills.  The  properties  insured  by  them  must  be  equipped 
and  protected  under  about  the  same  general  rules  as  the 
mutual  companies.  They  charge  a  uniform  "flat"  rate  of 
about  20  hundredths  of  one  per  cent.  Thus,  the  cost  of 
insurance  may  happen  to  be  greater  in  some  cases  in  the 


INSURANCE   AND  FIRE  PROTECTION.  153 

mutuals  than  in  the  stock  companies,  or  it  may  happen  to 
be  less. 

It  is  frequently  the  case  that  mills  which  are  members 
of  the  mutual  companies  carry  insurance  in  the  stock 
companies.  This  is  sometimes  caused  by  dissatisfaction 
with  the  management  of  the  mutuals.  The  mills  them- 
selves are  represented  on  the  boards  of  directors  of  the 
mutual  companies,  and  are  supposed  to  manage  their 
affairs;  yet  a  small  coterie  of  men  usually  run  things.  This 
is  especially  true  in  the  South  and  West. 

Both  of  the  existing  organizations  for  insurance  are 
excellent  institutions,  and  both  should  be  patronized 
and  encouraged,  so  that  the  business  may  be  handled 
economically  and  profitably,  to  both  the  insurance  com- 
panies and  the  cotton  mills. 

It  W'Ould  seem  that  factory  insurance  might  be  properly 
handled  by  one  large  mutual  insurance  company  in  each 
section  composed  of  one  or  two  States,  for  the  handling 
of  the  business  in  its  own  section. 

In  whatever  way  the  insurance  is  handled,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  some  fixed  rules  and  regulations  about  the 
equipment  of  mills.  It  is  also  necessary  to  have  inspec- 
tors constantly  on  the  road,  to  keep  the  mills  reminded  of 
their  duty  to  themselves  and  to  the  insurance  companies. 

In  general  terms,  the  regulations  comprise  about  the 
following  ideas: 

(i.)  A  full  equipment  of  automatic  sprinklers,  prop- 
erly installed  and  supplied  with  water. 

(2.)  An  outside  system  of  protection  by  hydrants- and 
hose,  supplied  by  a  special  fire  pump. 

(3.)  Two  distinct  sources  of  water  supply.  These 
may  consist  of  a  fire  pump  with  capacious  reservoir,  and 
an  elevated  tank;  or  a  city  water  supply  in  connection 
with  either  a  fire  pump  or  an  elevated  tank. 

(4.)  Building  to  be  of  approved  "slow  burning"  or 
"mill"  construction. 

(5.)  Steam  (in  a  steam  mill)  to  be  maintained  at  all 
times,  night,  day,  and  Sunday,  at  not  less  than  50  pounds 
pressure. 

(6.)     A  watchman  with  approved  time  detector  clock, 


160  INSURANCE  AND  FIRE  PROTECTION. 

at  night  and  at  all  times  when  mill  is  not  running. 

(7.)  A  fire  organization  of  mill  operatives,  who  turn 
out  at  regular  interv^als  and  practice  with  the  apparatus. 

(8.)     Sundry  other  minor  requirements. 

Low  insurance  rates  are  promoted  by  perfected  systems 
of  fire  protection.  The  system  developed  by  the  mutual 
insurance  companies  is  outlined  below: 

Pump. 

A  fire  pump  specially  designed  by  them  for  the  purpose. 
It  must  have  a  capacity  of  500  to  1,500  gallons  of  water 
per  minute,  the  size  dependent  upon  the  area  to  be  pro- 
tected. In  a  mill  run  by  steam  power,  the  fire  pump  is 
an  independent  steam  pump,  supplied  from  a  boiler  in 
which  steam  is  kept  up  to  at  least  50  pounds  at  all  times, 
night,  day,  and  Sunday.  In  a  mill  run  by  water  power, 
the  fire  pump  is  a  rotary  pump  operated  by  friction  gear- 
ing from  the  main  water  wheel  shaft,  or,  in  some  cases, 
from  a  special  water  wheel  installed  for  the  purpose. 

Reservoir. 

The  pump  takes  the  suction  from  a  reservoir  holding 
from  50,000  to  100,000  gallons.  It  is  usually  dug  in  the 
ground  (40  to  60  feet  in  diameter)  and  lined  with  brick 
and  cement.  In  the  case  of  a  water  mill,  the  suction  is 
usually  connected  with  the  head  race  or  feeder  tube 
which  supplies  the  water  wheels. 

Hydrants. 

The  pump  discharges  into  an  underground  system  of 
pipes  which  supply  hydrants  properly  distributed  around 
the  plant.  These  hydrants  are  similar  to  the  ones  in  use 
on  the  streets  of  cities.  They  have  two  or  three  connec- 
tions for  2^  inch  hose.  Each  hydrant  is  enclosed  in  a  "hose 
house,"  which  is  six  or  eight  feet  square,  built  to  contain 
100  to  300  feet  of  hose,  together  with  axes,  crow  bars 
and  other  appliances  for  fighting  fire. 

Sprinkler  System. 

There  is  an  elevated  tank,  the  bottom  of  which  is  not 
less  than  15  feet  higher  than  the  highest  part  of  the  roof, 
and  of  not  less  than  10,000  gallons  capacity,  always  filled 


INSURANCE  AND  FIRE  PROTECTION.  161 

with  water,  to  supply  a  system  of  pipes  in  the  buildings  for 
the  automatic  sprinklers.  These  sprinklers  are  construct- 
ed with  fusible  metal  connection,  so  that  at  a  given  tem- 
perature (usually  155  degrees  F.)  they  will  open  and  dis- 
charge a  large  spray  of  w'ater,  reaching  throughout  a 
circle  of  about  6  feet  radius.  The  pipes  are  so  run  that 
sprinklers  are  under  all  the  floors  and  roofs,  where  there 
is  any  shafting,  machinery  or  other  occupancy.  These 
should  be  not  more  than  8  to  lo  feet  apart  in  every  direc- 
tion. In  addition  to  being  supplied  from  the  elevated 
tank,  the  sprinkler  piping  is  also  connected  with  the  fire 
pump. 

Fire  Brigades. 

If  the  elevated  tank  is  always  full,  automatic  sprinklers 
will  fully  protect  a  mill  against  an  incipient  fire  inside  the 
buidings.  The  pump  and  hydrant  system  is  for  fighting 
outside  fires  and  inside  fires,  which  might  get  beyond  the 
control  of  sprinklers.  This  latter  protection  is  of  but  lit- 
tle avail,  unless  there  is  an  organization  of  men  fully 
trained  in  the  use  of  the  apparatus.  Every  factor}^  should 
organize  a  fire  brigade  among  the  operatives,  with  certain 
fixed  duties  for  each  man.  They  should  practice  with  the 
hose  once  a  week  and  become  so  familiar  with  the  work 
that  in  case  of  fire  there  will  be  no  excitement. 

Fire  Pails  and  Casks. 

There  should  be  an  abundant  supply  of  fire  pails,  full  of 
w'ater,  and  hanging  on  the  columns.  There  should  be 
one  on  every  alternate  column  in  the  mill.  The  pails 
should  be  made  for  the  purpose,  and  have  round  bottoms, 
so  they  cannot  be  used  for  other  purposes.  They  are 
sometimes  made  of  paper,  but  preferably  of  galvanized 
iron.  They  hang  on  special  hooks  made  for  the  purpose. 
They  should  have  painted  on  them  "For  Fire  Only." 
They  should  be  filled  up  once  a  week,  to  supply  the  loss 
by  evaporation. 

In  the  picker  room,  there  should  be  i  double  supply  of 
fire  pails,  and  also  one  or  two  casks  filled  with  water. 


162  INSURANCE   AND  FIRE   PROTECTION. 

Oily  Waste  Cans. 

There  is  a  special  metal  can,  made  for  holding  oily 
waste.  It  stands  on  legs,  and  has  a  self  closing  lid.  In 
this  can  should  be  thrown  all  waste  which  has  been  used, 
or  is  being  used,  for  cleaning  machinery.  This  reduces 
the  risk  of  spontaneous  combustion. 

Watchman's  Clock. 

It  is  necessary  to  keep  a  watchman  on  duty  at  night, 
and  at  all  times  when  the  mill  is  not  running.  In  order  to 
keep  record  of  this  watchman's  faithfulness,  a  clock  is 
provided  with  a  paper  dial,  which  records  the  time  when 
the  watchman  visits  certain  points.  There  are  three 
kinds  of  watchman's  clocks  in  common  use:  (i.)  One 
with  small  magnetos  at  each  station.  The  watchman 
turns  a  crank  and  generates  a  small  current  of  electricity, 
which  punches  the  clock  dial  in  the  office.  This  is  the 
best  form,  and  least  liable  to  be  tampered  with.  (2.)  The 
next  best  form  is  one  with  press  buttons  at  each  station, 
connecting  with  a  battery  at  the  clock  in  the  office.  (3.) 
Another  form  is  a  small  clock  which  the  watchman  car- 
ries with  him.  The  dial  is  punched  with  keys  made  fast 
at  the  station.  The  key  at  each  station  is  different  from 
the  others,  and  punches  in  its  own  circle  on  the  dial. 

Mill  Construction. 

The  mutual  insurance  companies  have  developed  a 
design  for  a  standard  cotton  factory  building,  known  as 
the  "slow  burning  construction."  They  recognize  the 
impossibility  of  making  any  factory  building  absolutely 
fireproof  in  its  construction,  and  have  designed  a  building, 
which  would  burn  so  slowly  that  the  standard  fire  protec- 
tion apparatus  on  the  premises  could  easily  control  it. 
The  essential  features  of  this  design  are  brick  walls,  heavy 
timbers  and  thick  floors. 

Cotton  mills  are  made  in  widths  which  are  multiples  of 
25  feet,  inside  measure.  That  is,  they  are  75,  100.  125 
feet  wide,  inside  to  inside  on  first  floor. 

The  length  of  mills  are  multiples  of  the  width  of  bay. 
If  bays  are  8  feet,  the  inside  length  is  a  multiple  of  8. 


MILL  CONSTRUCTION.  163 

Ring  spinning  mills  are  usually  made  with  8  feet  bays. 
Mule  mills  are  made  with  lo  feet  8  inch,  or  ii  feet  bays, 
to  accomodate  the  travel  of  a  pair  of  mules. 

The  cotton  mill  building  usually  consists  of  the  follow- 
ing parts: 

(i.)     The  Main  Mill. 

(2.)  The  Picker  Room.  This  is  a  continuation  of  the 
main  mill,  but  cut  ofT  from  it  by  fire  wall. 

(3.)  The  Belt  or  Rope  Tower  and  Dust  Flue.  This 
is  usually  a  space  of  two  bays  cut  off  by  two  walls  between 
main  mill  and  picker  room.  Part  of  this  space  is  occu- 
pied by  the  belts  or  ropes  from  engine  to  the  line  shafts 
on  each  fioor.  Part  of  it  is  cut  off  for  a  dust  flue.  Part 
may  be  utilized  as  a  supply  rooiii  or  cloak  room,  or  stair 
tower,  or  elevator  tower. 

(4.)  (If  a  steam  mill.)  Engine  and  boiler  rooms. 
These  are  usually  built  in  the  form  of  an  L,  one  behind 
the  other.  These  rooms  should  be  amply  large,  not  less 
than  40  feet  square  each,  for  installations  up  to  400  horse 
power.  The  space  in  front  of  the  boilers  should  be  as 
much  as  the  whole  length  of  the  boilers  and  furnace. 

The  thickness  of  mill  walls  should  not  be  less  than  i^ 
brick  (13  inches)  on  the  top  story,  and  ^  brick  thicker  for 
each  story  below.  Thus,  in  a  four  story  mill,  the  top 
story  walls  would  be  i^  brick  thick,  the  third  story  2 
brick,  the  second  stor^^  2^  brick,  the  first  story  3  brick, 
while  the  foundations  below  should  be  3^  brick  or  more, 
according  to  circumstances  of  topography,  etc. 

Sometimes  foundations  of  brick  mills  are  made  of 
stone. 

Sometimes  mill  walls  are  built  thinner  than  the  above 
dimensions,  and  have  pilasters  where  the  timbers  rest. 
This  gives  a  panel  effect  to  the  walls,  and  is  somewhat 
ornamental.  It  is  not  recommended  to  build  any  walls 
less  than  13  inches  thick,  especially  those  between  main 
mill  and  picker  room,  and  those  between  main  mill  and 
boiler  room.  These  should  be  "fire  walls."  that  is,  they 
should  extend  above  the  roofs. 


164 


MILL  CONSTRUCTION. 


Fig-  55.— Mill  Floor. 

Fig.  55  is  a  general  view  of  a  mill  floor,  showing  the 
heavy  timbers,  with  the  thick  floor,  the  intermediate 
floor  and  the  top  floor.  This  engraving  also  shows  the 
manner  of  running  the  sprinkler  piping. 

It  is  an  excellent  plan  to  use  uniform  size  timbers 
throughout  construction,  to  the  greatest  extent  possible, 
even  to  the  extent  of  using  timbers  too  heavy  for  the  pur- 
pose in  many  cases.  For  example,  floor  timbers  for  first 
story  might  be  required  12x16,  25  feet  long  for  centre 
spans,  and  12x16.  26  feet  long  for  outer  spans.  Upper 
floors  might  require  only  12x14,  and  the  roof  might 
require  only  10x14.  25    feet   long  for   centre   spans,    and 


Base,  Pintle  and  Cap. 


MILL  CONSTRUCTION.  165 

10x14,  28  feet  long  for  outer  spans.  In  such  a  case,  all 
timbers  ought  to  be  ordered  12x16,  28  feet  long.  Thus 
any  timber  would  answer  for  any  position.  The  lumber 
would  cost  more,  but  the  labor  in  handling  the  timber  in 
search  of  certain  pieces  would  be  eliminated. 

In  the  same  manner,  the  columns  for  first  and  second 
story  might  be  10x10,  and  for  third  9x9,  and  for  fourth 
8x8.  But  it  is  better  practice  to  order  them  all  10x10  for 
a  4  story  mill,  or  8x8  for  a  2  story  mill  Columns  may  be 
square  or  round. 

It  is  usual  to  provide  each  column  with  a  "cap  and 
pintle."  These  are  castings,  so  arranged  that  each  col- 
umn is  supported  directly  on  the  column  beneath  it. 
Thus,  the  level  of  the  floor  is  not  affected  by  the  shrink- 
age of  the  floor  beams,  as  would  be  the  case  if  the  column 
stood  on  the  wooden  floor  beam.  Fig.  56  shows  one 
form  of  casting  for  this  purpose.  It  may  be  in  one  piece 
as  shown,  or  may  be  in  two  or  three  pieces. 


SHIP  LAPPCD 

SPLINCD 

Fig-  57  —Floor  Plank. 

The  heavy  floor  plank  should  be  3x8,  dressed  on  one 
side  and  splined  or  ship  lapped,  as  per  Fig.  57.  Roof 
planks  should  be  the  same.  The  heavy  floor  plank 
should  be  overlaid  crosswise  with  kiln  dried  jointed  floor- 
ing, about  1x6  or  1x4,  and  this  again  overlaid  length- wise 
mill  with  another  similar  floor.  The  best  practice  is  to 
put  one  thickness  of  asbestos  or  asphalt  paper  between 
the  3  inch  and  the  i  inch  floor.  This  prevents  sifting  of 
dust  and  helps  make  the  floor  water-tight,  as  well  as  fire- 
tight.  Sometimes  this  paper  is  omitted.  Sometimes  one 
of  the  I  inch  floors  is  omitted. 

The  best  roof  is  made  of  tarred  paper  and  pitch  and 
gravel.  4  or  5  ply.  built  in  place.  The  "stuck  felt"  roofing, 
sold  in  rolls  and  tacked  on,  is  not  recommended.  Soldered 
tin  makes  a  good  roof.  A  standing  lock  seam  tin  roof  is 
not  good  on  a  roof  as  flat  as  mill  roofs  are  usually  made, 
namely,  a  slope  of  ^  inch  to  the  foot,  but  is  used  with  suc- 
cess on  slopes  of  |  inch  to  the  foot,  and  more. 


166 


MILL  CONSTRUCTION. 


There  should  be  a  monitor  on  the  roof,  running  nearly 
the  full  length  of  the  mill,  to  give  light  and  ventilation.  It 
should  be  about  25  feet  wide  and  four  to  six  feet  high. 

A  mill  75  feet  wide  should  be  not  less  than  14  feet  be- 
tween floors.  A  mill  100  feet  wide  should  be  not  less  than 
16  feet  between  floors. 

Windows  about  5  feet  wide  and  1 1  feet  high,  should  be 
in  ever}^  bay.  They  generally  consist  of  two  lower  sash 
that  slide,  and  one  smaller  upper  sash  that  turns  on 
pivots.     They  may  also  consist  of  3  sash,  uniform  in  size. 

The  outside  doors  may  be  of  any  ordinary  pattern.  The 
doors  leading  from  one  room  to  another  should  conform 
to  insurance  regulations.  These  are,  in  part,  that  the 
door  is  to  be  made  of  two  or  three  thicknesses  of  tongue 
and  groove  boards,  nailed  together  diagonally,  and  at  least 
2-|  inches  thick.  The  nails  are  to  be  clinched.  The  whole 
is  to  be  covered  with  tin,  nailed  on  in  such  a  way  that  no 
nail  head  is  exposed.  The  door  is  to  be  hung  on  special 
rollers  and  inclined  track  overhead,  so  arranged  that  the 
door  will  close  itself  when  not  held  open.  It  is  held  open 
by  a  cord  and  fusible  link,  so  that  in  case  of  fire,  the  link 
will  melt  and  allow  door  to  close,  thus  cutting  off  one  di- 
vision of  mill  from  another. 

Fig.  58,  shows  a  good  arrangement  of  wall,  floor  and 
fire  door.  The  door  sill  is  shown  higher  than  the  floors. 
This  enables  the  floor  in  one  room  to  be  flooded  with 
water,  in  case  of  fire,  without  wetting  the  floor  of  the  next 
room. 


Fig.  58. — Opening  in  Fire  Wall. 


MILL.  CONSTRUCTION. 


167 


One  of  the  principles  of  good  mill  construction  is  to 
make  all  floors  water  tight,  so  that  in  case  of  fire,  water 
may  be  freely  used,  even  to  the  extent  of  flooding  a  floor 
2  to  3  inches  deep,  without  running  through  and  damag- 
ing machinery  and  stock  in  the  room  below.This  principle 
is  often  disregarded  by  making  holes  through  the  floor  for 
belts  and  for  various  other  purposes.  Frequently  a  two 
inch  hole  will  be  bored  in  a  floor  for  hanging  hoisting 
tackle,  when  machinery  is  being  installed.  All  such  holes 
should  be  plugged  up  tight  and  the  plug  wedged  up  tight 
on  the  under  side.  Belt  holes  through  the  floor  should  be 
lined  with  an  iron  guard.  It  should  extend  below  the 
floor  one  or  two  inches,  to  prevent  fire  from  licking 
through,  and  should  extend  above  the  floor  two  or  three 
inches  to  prevent  water  from  running  through.  Fig  59 
shows  a  good  form  of  iron  belt  guard. 


Fig-  59.— Belt  Guard. 
Warehouse. 

The  standard  warehouse  for  cotton,  or  for  goods,  or  for 
waste,  is  a  simple,  though  wonderfully  safe  and  effective 
building.  It  consists  of  a  series  of  brick  walls,  parallel  to 
one  another  and  about  25  feet  apart.  The  roof  is  con- 
structed by  putting  heavy  beams  across  from  wall  to  wall, 
about  8  feet  apart,  and  covered  with  splined  or  ship  lapped 
3  inch  plank,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  mill  roof.  The 
the  brick  walls  run  above  the  roof,  thus  cutting  one  com- 
partment entirely  ofT  from  the  other. 

The  walls  are  60  to  100  feet  long.  The  open  ends  are 
closed  by  wooden  walls,  having  large  doors,  through 
which  the  bales  of  cotton,  or  other  stored  material,  are 
handled.     The  theory  of  this  construction  is  to  separate 


168  MILL  CONSTRUCTION. 

the  Stored  materials  into  distinct  lots,  so  that  if  a  fire 
should  occur  in  one  compartment,  it  may  be  controlled 
within  that  compartment.  The  wooden  walls  are  made 
so  they  may  be  easily  torn  down,  for  convenience  in  get- 
ting the  goods  out  in  case  of  fire. 

The  standard  cotton  warehouse  is  intended  to  hold 
bales  of  cotton,  standing  on  end.  The  bales  should  not 
be  piled  one  over  another.  Insurance  companies  allow 
piling  of  cotton,  but  charge  an  additional  rate.  Some- 
times the  house  is  made  several  stories  high. 

The  warehouse  should  be  within  easy  reach  of  the  mill 
hydrants,  and  should  be  equipped  with  automatic  sprink- 
lers, installed  on  the  "drj^  system."  In  this  system,  the 
pipes  are  kept  filled  with  compressed  air,  supplied  from  a 
hand  pump.  In  case  of  a  fire  the  automatic  sprinklers 
open  by  the  melting  of  a  fusible  link;  the  air  pressure  is 
reduced;  this  operates  a  valve,  which  turns  water  into  the 
system  from  the  elevated  tank  on  mill,  and  the  water  runs 
out  of  the  sprinkler  on  the  fire.  The  advantage  of  the 
dry  system  over  the  wet,  is  that  the  pipes,  being  filled  with 
air  instead  of  water,  will  never  burst  by  freezing.  The  wet 
system  is  generally  satisfactor}^  in  the  mill  building,  be- 
cause the  building  is  kept  heated.  In  cold  climates,  the 
dr\'  system  is  preferred  for  the  entire  installation.  A  pres- 
sure gauge  is  connected  with  the  air  pipes,  so  that  the  at- 
tendant may  see  when  it  should  be  pumped  up,  to  supply 
leaks.  An  electric  alarm  is  generally  provided,  to  indi- 
cate when  the  pressure  is  reduced  by  the  opening  of  a 
sprinkler  head. 

Lighting. 

The  cotton  mill  was  formerly  lighted  by  gas  or  kero- 
sene lamps.  But  now  the  incandescent  electric  light  has 
almost  entirely  superseded  every  other  form.  It  is  safer, 
brighter  and  generally  cheaper  than  any  other  light.  The 
dynamo  may  be  driven  from  the  main  source  of  power;  but 
in  large  mills,  it  is  generally  driven  by  a  special  engine  or 
water  wheel.  This  enables  the  light  to  be  run  when,  for 
any  reason,  the  other  machinery  is  stopped.  It  also  makes 


MILL.  CONSTRUCTION.  169 

a  facility  for  lighting  the  grounds  and  outside  buildings  at 
night,  after  the  mill  is  shut  down. 

In  order  to  secure  the  maximum  safety  for  an  electric 
lighting  system  all  of  the  work  should  be  installed  by  ex- 
perienced electricians,  working  under  recognized  rules 
and  regulations.  These  require,  among  other  things, 
that  all  wires  be  well  insulated,  and  supported  on  porce- 
lain, and  at  no  point  coming  in  contact  with  wood. 

Under  average  working  conditions,  the  power  required 
to  drive  the  dynamo  is  about  one  horse  power  for  each  ten 
lamps. 

Heating. 

There  are  two  systems  of  heating  in  common  use.  One 
is  by  means  of  steam  pipes  suspended  overhead,  taking 
live  steam  direct  from  the  boilers,  and  draining  back  into 
the  boilers.  The  other  is  by  means  of  a  system  of  steam 
coils,  and  a  fan,  which  takes  air  from  the  outside  and 
forces  or  draws  it  over  the  coils,  and  then  into  the  mill 
through  flues  built  in  the  walls. 

iPlumbing. 

Water  closets  are  almost  universally  provided  in  cotton 
mills.  They  are  generally  located  in  small  towers,  built 
against  the  side  of  the  mill.  The  subject  of  sanitation  for 
mills  has  not  had  the  attention  it  deserves.  The  closets 
are  too  small,  and  there  is  not  enough  air  admitted.  The 
plumbing  has  been  of  the  cheapest  kind,  and  has  been  cor- 
respondingly unsatisfactory. 

In  contracting  for  a  new  mill,  special  attention  should 
be  demanded  for  this  subject,  and  good  sanitation  should 
be  insisted  upon. 

The  water  supply  for  closets  is  obtained  from  an  ele- 
vated tank,  independent  of  the  fire  protection  tank, 
though  it  is  frequently  located  in  the  same  tower. 

It  is  important  in  locating  a  factory  to  see  that  there  is 
in  the  vicinity  a  stream  of  suitable  size  to  carry  away  the 
•sewage,  and  not  give  offense  to  neighboring  property 
"holders.     If  no  stream  is  available  for  this  purpose,  a  spe- 


170  MILL,  CONSTRUCTION. 

cial  plant  may  be  erected  at  a  small  cost  for  purifying  the 
sewage. 

Humidifying. 

It  is  found  that  spinning  and  weaving  cotton  progresses 
more  satisfactorily  in  an  atmosphere  of  a  certain  degree 
of  humidity  or  moisture.  The  natural  condition  of  the 
atmosphere,  as  to  moisture,  varies  greatly  in  different 
countries,  and,  even  in  the  same  country  at  different  sea- 
sons of  the  year.  In  addition  to  these  natural  variations 
of  external  atmosphere,  the  interior  atmosphere  of  a  mill 
undergoes  change  during  the  progress  of  the  cotton 
through  the  mill,  on  account  of  absorption  or  evaporation 
of  moisture  by  the  cotton,  according  as  it  happens  to  be 
more  dry  or  more  moist  than  the  interior  atmosphere. 
These  varying  conditions  render  it  important,  especially 
in  spinning  fine  numbers,  to  have  some  artificial  means  for 
moistening  the  interior  atmosphere  of  a  mill.  There  are 
several  devices  for  this  purpose  on  the  market,  many  of 
which  are  useful,  but  none  perfect. 

Some  day,  a  mill  may  be  constructed  perfectly  air  tight, 
with  double  windows,  and  so  arranged  that  the  superin- 
endent  may  have  entire  control  of  the  conditions  of  tem- 
perature and  humidity  inside  the  mill.  The  air  would  be 
purified  and  heated  and  moistened  to  a  prescribed  degree 
and  then  pumped  into  the  mill  in  exactly  the  proper  quan- 
tities, according  to  the  number  of  operatives,  and  the 
amount  of  stock  being  worked. 

Size  of  Building — Power  Required. 

The  size  of  a  cotton  mill  cannot  be  stated  universally, 
as  so  many  square  feet  of  floor  space  for  so  many  spindles. 
The  kind  of  goods  produced  makes  a  difference.  But  for- 
the  sake  of  giving  a  general  idea  of  the  subject,  there  is 
presented  below  a  list  of  mills  now  in  existence,  with  a 
memorandum  of  spindles  and  looms,  the  kind  of  goods 
made,  the  horse  power  used,  and  the  size  of  the  buildings. 

Mill  A.  10,000  spindles,  5,000  twister  spindles,  making 
2-ply  yarn,  Nos.  24  to  50.     Horse  power,  350.     Build- 


illLL  CONSTRUCTION.  171 

ing.  one  story,  75x400,  with  boiler  and  engine  room,  40X 
80.     Floor  space,  32,200  square  feet. 

Horse  power  per  1,000  spindles,  35. 

Floor  space  per  1,000  spindles,  3,220. 

Mill  B.  10,000  spindles,  300  looms  making  4  yard 
brown  sheetings.  Horse  power,  400.  Building  two  story 
75x300,  with  boiler  and  engine  room,  40x80.  Floor  space 
48,200  square  feet. 

Horse  power  per  1,000  spindles,  40. 

Floor  space  per  1,000  spindles,  4,820. 

Mill  C.  12,000  spindles,  300  looms,  making  4  yard  fine 
convertibles.  Horse  power,  400.  Building  four  stories, 
75x170.  Water  power  mill,  no  engine  room.  Floor 
space,  51,000  square  feet. 

Horse  power  per  1,000  spindles,  33. 

Floor  space  per  1,000  spindles,  4,250. 

]\Iill  D.  10,000  spindles,  300  looms,  making  4.75  yard 
convertibles.  Horse  power,  350.  Building  three  stories, 
100x235.  Water  power  mill,  wheel  house,  30x100.  Floor 
space,  73,500  square  feet. 

Horse  power  per  1,000  spindles,  35. 

Floor  space  per  1,000  spindles,  7.350. 

Mill  E.  5,000  spindles,  making  coned  hosiery  yarns, 
Nos.  26  to  36.  Horse  power,  160.  Building  one  story, 
75x200.  Engine  and  boiler  room,  30x70.  Floor  space, 
17,100  square  feet. 

Horse  power  per  1,000  spindles,  17^. 

Floor  space  per  1,000  spindles,  3,420. 

]\Iill  F.  10,000  spindles,  making  3  yard  brown  sheet- 
ings. Horse  power,  400.  Building,  two  story,  75x430. 
Engine  and  boiler  room,  40x80.  Floor  space,  35,500 
square  feet. 

Horse  power  per  1,000  spindles,  40. 

Floor  space  per  1,000  spindles,  3,550. 

From  the  above  showing,  it  might  be  roughly  stated 
that  on  average  Southern  work  for  spinning    mills,    the 


172  MILL.  MANAGEMENT. 

horse  power  required  per  i,ooo  spindles,  is  15  to  25;  and 
floor  space  per  1,000  spindles,  is  3,000  to  4,000  square 
feet.  For  spinning  and  weaving  mills,  the  horse  power 
required  per  1,000  spindles,  is  35  to  45;  and  floor  space  per 
1,000  spindles,  is  4,000  to  5,000  square  feet. 

Profits. 

The  tables  in  Chapter  VI  showing  range  of  profits,  are 
made  up  from  exhibits  as  usually  made  in  annual  reports. 
This  is  exclusive  of  depreciation,  or  wear  and  tear.  Even 
in  cases  where  an  item  of  depreciation  is  carried  in  the 
accounts,  it  is  often  simply  a  manner  of  bookkeeping,  and 
not  a  sum  set  aside  for  replacing  machinery. 

From  the  experience  of  the  best  mills  that  have  been 
running  in  the  South  for  20  years  and  over,  and  which 
have  always  been  kept  well  up  to  date,  it  would  appear 
that  about  15  per  cent,  is  the  average  annual  profit  in  clear 
money  for  the  whole  time.  This  has  usually  been  dis- 
posed of  by  paying  10  per  cent,  dividends,  and  re-invest- 
ing 5  per  cent,  in  extension  of  plant.  In  one  large  mill 
built  over  20  years  ago,  the  following  is  the  comprehen- 
sive result  as  it  now  stands: 

Capital  paid  in,  $800,000. 

Value  of  plant  now,  as  extended  with  profits;  $1,600,- 
000. 

The  profits  used  in  extension,  is  about  equal  to  the 
original  capital  stock.  This  would  be  an  average  of  five 
per  cent.,  per  annum,  for  20  years,  made  and  re-invested. 

Where  large  profits  are  reported,  and  large  dividends 
paid,  it  is  always  a  question  whether  the  vitality  of  the 
mill  is  not  suffering.  There  is  a  number  of  cases  where 
mills  have  paid  several  large  dividends  at  the  start,  but, 
on  account  of  making  no  provision  for  depreciation, 
have  finally  collapsed.  , 

Value  of  Personality  in  Management. 

The  influence  that  the  personal  ability  of  the  manager 
of  a  mill  exerts  on  the  profits  of  a  business  is  difficult  to 
estimate.  The  relative  capabilities  of  different  individuals 
vary,  as  much  as  their  countenances. 


MILL   MANAGEMENT.  173 

The  stockholders  usually  select  a  board  of  directors, 
and  these  in  turn,  select  the  man  who  is  to  be  the  execu- 
tive head.  It  may  be  assumed  that  this  process  secures 
a  man  who,  from  all  appearances,  is  or  may  be  a  good 
manager.  Yet  with  the  best  care,  it  is  difficult  to  select 
the  best  man. 

In  the  same  mill,  the  value  of  personality  in  manage- 
ment might  produce  different  results  as  follows: 

1.  Average  normal  management  and  fair  conditions,  a 
profit  of  lo  per  cent. 

2.  Inferior  management  and  fair  conditions,  a  loss  of 
5  per  cent. 

3.  Superior  management  and  fair  conditions,  a  profit 
of  25  per  cent. 

The  above  applies  not  only  to  general  business  manage- 
ment, but  also  to  the  superintendent  and  the  physical 
management  of  a  mill. 

A  man  may  make  a  success  in  managing  one  mill 
where  all  the  factors  are  favorable,  and  acquire  a  confi- 
dence in  himself  that  would  make  him  undertake  the  man- 
agement of  a  failing  mill,  where  some  vital  condition  was 
wrong.  Here  he  might  make  a  complete  failure.  This 
applies  to  superintendents  as  well  as  managers. 

The  following  examples  are  given  to  elucidate  this 
point. 

Example  i.  A  very  successful  and  excellent  manager 
of  a  colored  goods  mill  was  induced  to  undertake  also  the 
management  of  a  medium  weight  yarn  mill,  which  had  not 
been  a  success.  It  was  confidently  expected  that  his  well 
known  ability  would  redeem  the  mill.  But  as  a  matter 
of  fact  it  made  little  difference.  The  troubles  in  this  case 
were  that  the  market  for  the  yarns  made  was  not  good, 
and  the  selling  arrangements  deficient. 

Example  2.  A  colored  goods  mill  became  involved. 
Its  redemption  was  undertaken  by  management  which 
had  been  up  to  that  time  uniformly  successful  in  various 
lines.  It  so  happened  on  account  of  fashion,  the 
market  for  these  colored  goods  became  ver}'^  much  de- 
pressed.    In  addition  to  this    influence,    dissention    and 


174  MILL.  MANAGEMENT. 

controversy  in  the  board  and  among  the  stockholders, 
•combined  to  defeat  the  success  of  the  mill  at  the  moment 
when  the  market  was  changing  in  favor  of  that  kind  of 
goods. 

Example  3.  A  superintendent  in  charge  of  a  spinning 
mill  was  very  successful.  He  was  induced  to  go  to  a  mill 
500  miles  away,  where  labor  was  higher  priced,  and  the 
mill  and  machinery  were  old.  In  the  new  place,  he  did 
no  better  than  his  predecessors. 

Example  3.  A  spinning  mill  consigned  its  product  to 
a  commission  house,  entering  it  each  month  at  current 
market  prices.  On  a  declining  market  it  was  not  prompt- 
ly sold.  When  sold,  it  brought  less  than  the  value  at 
which  it  was  entered  on  the  books;  but  no  account  was 
taken  of  the  depreciation.  As  a  consequence,  after  sev- 
eral years,  an  investigation  showed  that  an  apparent  sur- 
plus, which  was  being  carried  on  the  books,  did  not  exist. 
This  investigation  at  once  made  it  apparent  that  the 
stock  of  the  mill,  which  had  been  considered  worth  above 
par,  was  in  reality  of  but  little  value.  The  trouble  in  this 
case  was  bad  system  of  bookkeeping,  and  the  absence  of 
regular  reports,  detailing  to  the  officers  all  the  current 
conditions. 

Example  4.  A  cloth  and  yarn  mill  prospered  and  paid 
good  dividends  for  nearly  20  years.  It  did  best  in  its  early 
history.  At  the  end  of  20  years,  it  could  no  longer  pay 
dividends,  and  in  fact  had  to  be  sold. 

The  trouble  with  this  mill  was  in  paying  out  all  their 
apparent  profits  for  dividends,  and  in  saving  nothing  for 
<iepreciation. 

Conditions  favorable  to  one  sort  of  manufacture  may 
not  be  favorable  to  another.  In  Chapter  VI,  it  has  been 
shown  that  for  fine  goods  the  labor  is  the  large  and  con- 
trolling factor,  while  for  coarse  goods,  raw  materials  is  the 
controlling  one.  Therefore,  a  management  capable  of 
making  a  great  success  on  fine  goods,  where  the  sur- 
roundings are  favorable  and  skilled  labor  plentiful,  might 
make  a  great  mistake,  and  damage  a  justly  earned  reputa- 
tion by  undertaking  to  handle  a  mill  on  coarse  goods  with 
unfavorable  surroundings  and  raw  material  high. 


>^ 


O 

'IT 


o 

bio 


MILL.  MANAGEMENT.  .175 

A  good  management  may  undertake  to  redeem  a  fail- 
ing plant  under  unfavorable  conditions,  and  fail  to  do  so, 
because  of  the  conditions.  A  plant  giving  mediocre,  or 
failing  results  may  be  put  in  the  hands  of  new  manage- 
ment and  made  very  successful.  This  would  mean  that  the 
conditions  were  all  right,  and  that  the  improvement  was 
in  the  value  of  the  personality  of  the  new  management. 

Besides  the  value  of  personality  and  the  value  of  condi- 
tions, there  must  be  also  fair  markets.  It  may  happen 
that  markets  for  certain  Hues  of  goods  go  to  pieces. 
Neither  local  management  nor  local  conditions  can  over- 
come this  difficulty.  This  relates  especially  to  goods  that 
are  dependent  on  fashion  or  on  taste  of  customers,  as  for 
example,  the  gingham  business  in  weaving,  or  jersey 
waists  and  sweaters  in  knit  goods. 

It  always  pays  to  get  the  best  of  good  management, 
and  pay  the  price  necessary  to  get  the  best.  This  applies 
to  both  the  business  manager  and  the  superintendent. 

To  recapitulate,  the  factors  which  may  separately  or  to- 
gether determine  the  fate  of  a  mill,  are  as  follows: 

1.  Personality  of  management. 

2.  Market  for  goods. 

3.  Surrounding  conditions,  especially  with  reference 
to  available  labor  and  raw  material. 

4.  Bookkeeping,  especially  with  reference  to  inven- 
tory valuations,  and  full  exhibits  of  conditions. 

5.  Harmony  in  the  board  of  directors  and  among  the 
stockholders. 

6.  Ability  of  superintendent. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Jfarm  ant)  jfactori?. 

There  is  great  complaint  in  the  cotton  producing  area 
of  the  United  States  about  the  depressed  condition  of  ag- 
riculture. The  cotton  producer  finds  it  difficult  to  make 
ends  meet  with  cotton  at  5  cents  per  pound.  Much  has 
been  said  about  curtailment  of  production  for  the  purpose 
of  stimulating  the  price.  When  it  is  considered  that  it  is 
not  long  since  the  crop  was  five  million  bales,  and  that  it 
brought  twelve  cents  a  pound,  while  now  the  crop  is  in 
round  numbers  ten  million  bales  and  sells  at  six  cents  a 
pound,  the  idea  of  curtailing  production  to  stimulate 
price  would  seem,  on  the  face  of  it,  to  be  both  possible  and 
desirable. 

When,  however,  it  is  considered  that  the  production  of 
cotton  is  going  forward  in  many  other  parts  of  the  world, 
especially  in  Egypt  and  India  under  English  management, 
and  that  the  production  in  India  now  is  as  much  as  it  was 
in  the  United  States  twenty  years  ago,  it  is  evident  that 
in  our  increasing  crop,  at  lower  prices,  our  people  have 
only  kept  out  of  the  way  of  foreign  competition. 

The  world's  demand  for  cotton,  at  the  decreasing  price, 
is  very  large;  and  even  at  the  decreasing  price,  if  our  peo- 
ple do  not  furnish  it,  there  are  other  countries  that  will. 

These  matters  have  been  discussed  in  connection  with 
other  phases  of  the  general  subject  in  other  chapters,  but 
that  which  pertains  to  the  revival  of  the  farming  interest 
by  the  development  of  manufactures,  is  brought  together 
here  for  consecutive  discussion. 

The  production  of  a  cotton  crop  really  requires  only 
about  150  days  work  in  a  year.  If  the  remaining  150 
working  days  could  be  profitably  employed,  the  necessity 
for  living  on  the  proceeds  of  the  cotton  crop  would  be 
obviated. 

The  development  of  manufactures  creates  a  cash  mar- 
ket for  a  great  variety  and  large  quantity  of  perishable 
farm  products,  such  as  vegetables,  fruits,  milk,  butter,  and 


o 

to 

C 
o 

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o 

a 

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c 


to 

o 


c3 


bJo 

to 


Fig.  62.     Fruit  on  Farm  near  Cotton  Factory. 


FARM   AND    FACTORY.  177 

poultry,  as  well  as  wood  for  fuel.  A  market  for  these 
things,  would  make  it  possible  for  the  farmer  to  live  even 
much  better  than  he  would  if  dependent  on  the  cotton 
crop  alone.  Therefore,  at  any  point  to  which  foreign  com- 
petition might  reduce  the  price,  the  cotton  farmer,  with  a 
home  market  for  both  his  cotton  and  his  perishable  farm 
products,  would  still  make  a  good  living,  and  a  profit 
equivalent  to  the  value  of  his  cotton  crop  besides. 

Very  full  attention  has  been  given  to  the  economical 
production  of  cotton  by  means  of  the  establishment  of 
agricultural  colleges,  experiment  stations,  fertilizer  ex- 
aminations, and  other  means.  While  it  is  important  and 
valuable  to  continue  to  foster  these  improvements  and 
economies,  the  great  advantage  in  the  way  of  profits  lies 
in  the  direction  of  manufacturing  the  cotton  at  home. 

There  is  dif^culty  in  keeping  the  graduates  of  agricul" 
tural  schools  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Considering  the 
depressed  condition  of  agriculture,  it  does  not  seem  amiss 
that  young  men  should  for  sometime  go  into  manufactur- 
ing pursuits,  thereby  creating  markets  for  the  products  of 
those  who  continue  to  farm.  In  due  time,  farming  will 
thus  become  more  attractive  and  profitable. 

The  South  has  put  the  manufacture  of  iron  on  an  ex- 
port basis.  The  cotton  oil  industry  has  been  developed 
on  an  export  basis.  The  South  has  in  these  things,  set 
the  pace  and  made  the  prices  to  which  the  manufacturers 
of  the  North  must  go  and  come.  If  we  but  utilize  the  re- 
sources we  now  have,  and  put  to  work  the  idle  labor  now 
in  every  undeveloped  section  of  the  South,  we  may  supply 
from  the  cotton  growing  states,  the  cloth  for  the  vast 
markets  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  which  is  now  fur- 
nished from  the  factories  of  England  and  Germany. 

In  all  that  we  do,  we  want  to  co-operate  with,  and  not 
antagonize,  our  friends  in  New  England  and  other  parts 
of  the  North.  For  the  sale  of  our  goods,  we  must  rely 
much  upon  the  development  of  foreign  markets.  In  the 
future,  it  will  not  be  a  domestic  fight  over  home  products 
The  foreign  markets  we  must  seek  will  give  outlet  enough 
for  the  products  of  the  North  and  South  both.     It  is  im- 


17S  FARM  AND  FACTORY. 

portant  that  the  people  of  the  whole  nation  work  together 
to  acquire  and  develop  these  markets. 

Practically  all  native  people  in  the  South  are  farmers. 
The  manufacturing  now  being  done  by  Southern  people 
furnishes  evidence  of  the  facility  with  which  the  Southern 
farmer  extends  his  operations.  Almost  every  Southern 
man  who  has  gone  into  manufacturing,  is  still  a  farmer, 
and  will  continue  to  be  so.  The  escape  of  the  cotton 
farmer  from  approaching  poverty  is  not  in  trying  to  cur- 
tail production  and  increase  the  price,  but  in  devising 
means  to  keep  the  cheap  cotton  at  home,  and  utilizing 
surplus  time  in  turning  it  into  cloth  worth  i8  cents  per 
pound  and  upward. 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  the  political  and 
social  conditions  in  the  South  have  been  unfavorable  for 
the  development  of  natural  interests.  The  generation 
that  is  now  passing  away  has  withstood  a  test  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  sturdiness  and  steadiness  of  purpose  never  before 
put  upon  any  people.  They  stood  as  a  bulwark  fighting 
for  a  whole  generation  for  the  preservation  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  civilization — fighting  against  the  strong  prejudices 
of  other  people  of  their  own  race,  living  at  a  distance,  and 
against  semi-barbaric  influences  that  were  supported  and 
urged  on  by  those  prejudices.  This  contest  is  over. 
It  is  no  wonder  that  during  its  progress,  so  little  advance 
was  made  in  material  prosperity;  but  it  is  a  wonder  that 
the  production  of  cotton  has  kept  ahead  of  that  of  other 
advancing  cotton  growing  countries. 

For  the  coming  generation,  the  way  to  prosperity  is 
wide  open  and  plain.  The  passing  generation  has  won 
the  fight  against  anarchy,  and  left  to  their  children  a  her- 
itage more  valuable  than  any  riches.  It  is  now  simply  a 
question  of  redemption  from  poverty.  To  do  this,  we 
must  combine  farming  and  manufacturing. 

We  must  create  and  maintain  an  untarnished  credit. 
Keep  all  contracts  inviolate  and  sacred.  The  commer- 
cial strength  of  England  lies  more  than  in  any  other 
thing  in  the  perfect  faith  which  England  and  the  English 
people  maintain  with  those  with  whom  they  deal.     The 


O 
■*-• 
o 

o 
o 

a 

l-H 

<u 


o 


CO 


On 


n 

O 


5 


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o 
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o 


^ 


FARM  AND  FACTORY.  179 

true  Englishman  never  repudiates  an  obligation,  even 
though  he  gets  nothing  in  return  from  what  he  has  con- 
tracted to  pay. 

If  we  would  turn  our  cotton  into  cloth,  we  must  of  ne- 
cessity, go  into  the  markets  of  the  world,  and  a  reputation 
for  fair  dealing  and  fulfillment  of  contracts  is  a  pre-requi" 
site  for  continued  trade  with  the  nations  of  the  world. 

We  must  enlarge  and  maintain  our  shipping.  We  must 
have  a  merchant  marine  and  a  navy  to  protect  it.  We 
have  reached  that  point  in  our  industrial  development 
when,  if  we  extend  our  manufactures  further,  we  must 
have  more  markets.  We  have  built  railroads  by  subsidies. 
There  is  hardly  a  town,  county  or  state  that  has  not  con- 
tributed in  bonds  or  in  money  or  in  lands,  or  in  the  use  of 
streets,  to  the  construction  of  one  or  more  railroads.  Al- 
most every  railroad  in  the  United  States  has  had  more  or 
less  bounty  money  to  aid  in  its  construction.  Towns  vie 
with  each  other  to-day  in  offering  bounties  to  obtain  new 
lines  of  roads,  and  everybody  feels  that  it  pays  to  do  so. 
Yet  there  is  an  incomprehensible  prejudice  against  giving 
even  a  fair  mail  contract  to  a  new  line  of  ships  to  a  for- 
eign country.  England  and  Germany  send  their  subsi- 
dized ships  after  our  five  cent  cotton.  They  will  not 
continue  to  come  for  our  fifteen  cent  cloth.  These  coun- 
tries want  to  hold  the  manufactures,  and  hold  the  trade. 
We  must  have  our  own  ships,  as  we  must  also  have  a  navy 
to  protect  them. 

Wherever  there  are  markets  for  our  manufactured 
goods,  we  need  American  banking  facilities.  We  must 
have  a  money  upon  which  the  people  of  all  the  world  can 
rely.  American  money  must  be  at  all  times,  and  under  all 
circumstances  as  good  as  English  money. 

The  farmer,  by  his  influence  and  vote,  can  bring  about 
these  conditions.  In  bringing  them  about,  he  is  multi- 
plying by  three  the  value  of  his  cotton,  and  tripling  the 
value  of  his  lands.  It  is  in  this  way  that  the  monopoly 
in  the  production  of  cotton  can  be  held.  It  is  the  way 
prosperity  can  be  brought  to  the  South  and  for  all  time 
maintained.  '      ' '  ''  1 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Biograpbtcal  SF^etcbes, 

In  previous  chapters  it  has  been  shown  that  the  South- 
ern States  enjoyed  great  manufacturing  prosperity  in  the 
early  part  of  the  century.  Although,  as  slavery  grew, 
this  interest  was  never  entirely  lost,  there  was  a  period 
from  1840  to  i860,  when  the  interest  of  the  South  sorely 
needed  manufacturing  as  well  as  agricultural  develop- 
ment. Only  those  men  whc  appreciated  this  condition 
undertook  to  go  counter  to  the  growing  sentiment  in  fa- 
vor of  agriculture  and  slave  labor.  Those  who  did  con- 
tinue to  manufacture,  were  necessarily  men  of  broad  views 
and  great  abilities.  Biographical  sketches  of  some  of 
these  men  (and  there  were  not  many  of  them)  are  given 
in  the  succeeding  pages. 


WILLIAM    GREGG. 


BIOGRAPHICAX,  SKETCHES.  181 

WILLIAM  GREGG. 

The  appendix  to  this  volume  is  composed  of  a  series  of 
essays  written  by  William  Gregg  in  1845.  The  preface  to 
this  appendix  gives  an  outline  of  Mr.  Gregg's  industrial 
career.  The  essays  themselves  so  clearly  exhibit  his  con- 
victions and  sentiments  on  the  subject  of  manufacturing 
that  it  would  seem  superfluous  to  further  dwell  upon  this 
feature  of  his  character. 

He  built  a  cotton  factory  at  Graniteville  in  Edgetield 
District,  South  Carolina  in  1847.  This  was  successful 
from  the  start,  and  remained  so  to  the  present  time. 

From  the  minutes  of  the  Beech  Island,  South  Carolina 
Farmers  Club,  is  copied  the  following  tribute  to  his  mem- 
ory: 

"Died  on  the  12th  September,  1867,  William  Gregg,  the 
founder  of  Graniteville.  He  was  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  this  Club,  adding  largely  by  his  practical  knowledge 
to  the  interest  and  usefulness  of  its  meetings.  Though 
not  a  farmer  by  profession,  yet  by  the  estabhshment  of  ex- 
tensive orchards  at  Kalmia,  he  introduced  among  the  bar- 
ren sand  hills  of  this  section,  a  new  culture,  and  in  this,  as 
in  erecting  his  factory,  in  building  the  village  of  Granite- 
ville, in  opening  schools  and  churches  to  a  large  communi- 
ty, all  he  did  seemed  to  expand  in  widening  circles  of  ben- 
efit and  blessing.  In  grateful  remembrance  of  him,  as  a 
friend  and  neighbor,  as  the  representative  of  honest  indus- 
try, as  an  eminent  citizen  and  as  a  public  benefactor,  these 
lines  are  inscribed." 


FRANCIS  FRIES. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  183 

FRANCIS  FRIES. 

Among  the  pioneer  manufacturers  of  North  CaroHna, 
was  Francis  Fries,  of  Salem.  He  was  born  October  ly, 
1 812.  His  father,  J.  C.  William  Fries,  was  the  son  of  a 
Moravian  minister,  who  held  a  responsible  position  on  the 
Executive  Board  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  Herrnhut, 
Saxony.  He  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  and  mar- 
ried in  Salem.  N.  C.  The  father  had  wished  that  Francis 
Fries  should  become  a  minister,  and  with  this  end  in  view, 
sent  him  to  Nazareth  Hall,  Pa.,  to  receive  a  classical  and 
theological  education.  Upon  his  return  to  Salem,  he  be- 
came a  teacher,  but,  finding  that  he  had  no  taste  for  the 
ministry  or  teaching,  he  read  law  with  Mr.  Emanual  Sho- 
ber,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  After  practicing  law 
for  a  short  time,  he  was  appointed  agent  for  the  Salem 
(Cotton)  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  which  Dr.  Schumann  was 
president. 

Without  mechanical  training,  but  with  characteristic 
energy  and  thought,  he  threw  himself  into  the  new  task, 
and  A-isited  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  and  ether  Northern 
points,  to  study  manufacturing.  He  secured  the  plans, 
and  personally  superintended  the  erection  of  the  plant  in 
1836,  and  under  his  management  the  lousiness  was  a  de- 
cided success.  In  the  summer  of  1840,  he  commenced 
business  on  his  own  account  with  the  financial  assistance 
of  John  Vogler,  Sr.,  whose  daughter  he  had  married  in 
1838.  This  first  independent  venture  was  but  a  small  one, 
consisting  of  a  set  of  cards  for  making  rolls  from  the  wool 
raised  by  neighboring  farmers.  This  mill  also  contained 
a  small  dyeing  and  fulling  plant  for  coloring  and  finishing 
the  cloth  woven  by  the  farmers'  wives  and  daughters.  In 
1842  he  added  spinning  machinery,  and  later  a  few  looms. 

To  realize  the  difflculties  that  presented  themselves 
during  these  early  years,  it  must  be  remembered  that  he 
was  compelled  to  visit  Northern  cities  by  private  convey- 
ance. He  and  Mr.  Edwin  M.  Holt,  another  pioneer  man- 
ufacturer, were  close  friends,  and  after  alternate  trips, 
each  reported  to  the  other  all  the  improvements  that  were 


184  BIOGRAPHICAL.  SKETCHES. 

taking  place  in  cotton  machinery  since  either  had  last  vis- 
ited the  Northern  centres. 

On  the  5th  of  March,  1846,  his  brother,  H.  W.  Fries, 
was  admitted  to  partnership  with  him,  and  the  firm  was 
thereafter  known  as  F.  &  H.  Fries.  In  1848  they  built  a 
cotton  mill  which  was  run  until  1880,  when  the  old  ma- 
chinery was  removed,  and  the  building  became  a  part  of 
the  enlarged  woolen  mill. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Fries  represented  his  county  in  the  Legis- 
lature, and  devoted  a  large  portion  of  the  sessions  to  the 
revision  of  the  system  of  taxation  and  the  re-organization 
of  the  Revenue  Act. 

Francis  Fries  was  not  only  a  successful  cotton  and 
woolen  manufacturer,  but  a  prominent  and  useful  citizen. 
He  designed  the  first  Court  House  for  the  city  of  Win- 
ston. He  planned  and  built  the  main  building  of  Salem 
Female  Academy,  and  numerous  other  buildings  in  Salem. 
Before  the  days  of  railroads  he  took  an  important  part  in 
all  movements  looking  toward  the  development  of  the 
State,  and  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  building  the 
plank  road  which  extended  from  Fayetteville  into  western 
Carolina.  He  was  associated  with  Gov.  Morehead  and 
other  prominent  men  in  the  building  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina Railroad,  and  was  a  stockholder  and  director  in  said 
road  from  its  orgnization  to  his  death. 

Locally,  he  exercised  a  wide  influence  throughout  his 
entire  community,  and  in  addition  to  his  numerous  other 
business  enterprises  for  some  years  successfully  conduct- 
ed a  tannery  and  store. 

As  lawyer  and  magistrate,  architect  and  builder,  finan- 
cier, merchant  and  manufacturer,  he  held  many  important 
positions  in  his  church,  community  and  State. 

He  died  August  i,  1863,  leaving  a  will  under  which  the 
surviving  partner  conducted  the  business  until  the  final 
settlement  of  the  estate,  which  was  in  January,  1879. 


E.  M.  HOLT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  185 

EDWIN  MICHAEL  HOLT. 

E.  M.  Holt  was  born  in  January,  1807,  in  Orange  (now 
Alamance)  County,  North  Carolina.  He  obtained  a  fair 
education  in  the  district  schools  at  home. 

His  father  was  Michael  Holt,  a  farmer,  who  for  some 
time  represented  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature. 

He  married  Emily  Farish,  whose  father,  Thomas 
Farish,  was  a  farmer  of  Chatham  county,  and  who  owned 
the  coal  mines  in  that  county. 

In  the  thirties,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  \V .  A.  Car- 
rigan  and  built  a  mill  for  spinning  cotton  on  Alamance 
creek,  in  Alamance  county.  This  mill  was  operated  by 
water  power. 

While  continuing  all  his  life  a  farmer,  his  energies  were 
largely  directed  toward  advancing  the  material  interests 
of  his  State.  For  many  years  he  was  on  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, and  on  the  finance  committee,  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina Railroad. 

In  the  early  fifties,  he  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
colored  cotton  cloth.  He  called  his  product  "Alamance 
pk'.ids,"  but  these  goods  were  always  known  through  the 
country  as  "Alamance." 

Under  his  general  guidance  and  counsel,  and  with  his 
financial  aid,  all  of  his  sons  built  cotton  mills  before  his 
death.  At  the  present  time,  the  various  "Holt  mills"  in 
North  Carolina,  have  in  the  aggregate  over  100,000  spin- 
dles and  over  3,000  looms,  most  of  which  are  making  col- 
ored goods. 

All  of  this  development  may  be  said  to  have  sprung 
from  the  parent  mill  on  Alamance  creek. 

E.  M.  Holt  was  a  close  personal  friend  of  Francis  Fries, 
of  Salem,  and  of  John  M.  Morehead,  of  Leaksville.  These 
friendships  resulted  in  much  good  to  all  of  these  pioneer 
manufacturers,  and  to  the  industrial  interests  of  the  whole 
State. 

In  common  with  most  manufacturers  of  his  day,  E.  M. 
Holt  was  a  strong  Whig.  He  kept  actively  in  business 
until  1880,  and  died  May  14,  1884. 


186  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

JOHN  \V.  LEAK. 

John  \\'.  Leak  was  born  in  Richmond  county,  North 
Carolina,  March  i6,  1816.  His  parents  were  \MlHam  P. 
and  Ann  Wall  Leak,  who  moved  to  North  Carolina  from 
Gloucester  County,  Virginia,  and  were  among  the  earliest 
settlers  along  the  Pee  Dee  River.  His  grandfather, 
Walter  Leak,  Sr.,  served  as  a  private  in  the  American 
army  throughout  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  died  at 
Rockingham,  N.  C,  in  1844. 

John  W.  Leak  graduated  from  Randolph- Alacon  Col- 
lege, about  1837.  He  married  soon  after,  and  moved  to- 
Cheraw,  S.  C,  where,  for  many  years  he  was  a  successful 
merchant  and  planter. 

In  1854.  he  returned  to  Rockingham,  N.  C.  In  1861, 
he  was  elected  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  13th  N.  C.  State 
troops,  afterward  the  23rd  regiment  of  the  army  of 
Northern  Virginia.  He  held  this  position  until  the  re-or- 
ganization in  1862. 

The  Company  owning  the  Great  Falls  (North  Carolina) 
Cotton  Mill,  was  first  chartered  and  organized  in  1833  as 
the  "Richmond  Manufacturing  Co."  For  some  time  pre- 
vious, and  during  the  Civil  war,  John  W.  Leak  was  the 
president  of  this  Company.  The  mill  was  burned  by  Sher- 
man in  1865,  and  rebuilt  and  re-organized  in  1869. 

The  first  board  of  directors  under  the  re-organization 
was  composed  of  John  W.  Leak,  W.  F.  Leak  and  Dr.  A. 
J.  DeRosette.  of  \\'ilmington,  N.  C.  John  W.  Leak  was 
again  made  president.  Under  his  able  and  prudent  man- 
agement, the  mill  was  always  successful,  and  paid  good 
dividends.  The  mill  from  the  first  made  yarns  and  plain 
white  cloth. 

John  W.  Leak  died  in  May,  1876. 


-^"'>^. 


JOHN  W.  LEAK. 


JOHN    M.    MOREHEAD. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  187 

JOHN  MOTLEY  MOREHEAD. 

John  M.  Morehead  was  born  in  Pittsylvania  county, 
Virt^inia,  July  4,  1796.  His  father  was  Esquire  John 
Morehead,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Obedience 
Motley.  The  family  moved  to  Rockingham  county,  N.  C, 
in  1798. 

He  was  prepared  for  college  by  his  father's  friends. 
Judge  Settle  and  Dr.  Caldwell,  of  Guilford  county.  He 
gradur.ted  from  the  University  of  North  Carolina  in  1817. 

In  1 82 1,  he  married  Ann  Eliza  Lindsay.  He  moved  to 
Guilford  county  in  1823. 

He  was  a  lawyer  by  profession  and  a  very  successful  one. 
He  represented  Guilford  county  a  number  of  years  in  both 
branches  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  twice  elected  gov- 
ernor of  the  State. 

He  was  a  Whig  and  a  strong  personal  friend  of  Henry 
Clay.  He  presided  over  the  National  Convention  that 
nominated  Zachary  Taylor  for  President  in  1848. 

Together  with  Messrs.  Rul^n,  Reid  and  Barringer,  he 
was  sent  by  North  Carolina  to  the  so-called  "Peace  Con^ 
gress,"  in  Washington,  in  1861.  He  went  to  this  Con- 
gress as  an  advocate  of  the  Union,  but  when  war  was 
found  to  be  inevitable  he  was  a  warm  supporter  of  the 
Confederacy,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Confederate  Con- 
gress. On  account  of  the  pressure  of  business,  he  de- 
clined the  portfolio  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

Although  a  man  always  in  public  life,  John  M.  More- 
head  w-as  essentially  a  promoter  of  industrial  enterprises. 
At  a  time  w^hen  his  State  had  no  railroads,  he  labored 
earnestly  in  the  various  Legislatures  for  the  North  Caro- 
lina Railroad,  and  canvassed  the  State  from  end  to  end  for 
subscriptions  to  the  stock.  He  succeeded  in  building  this 
road  from  Charlotte  to  Goldsboro.  He  acted  as  President 
until  it  was  completed,  and  turned  it  over  to  the  stock- 
holders in  1853.  entirely  free  from  mortgages.  This  was 
an  unparalleled  feat  in  the  history  of  railroads. 

He  was  one  of  the  early  manufacturers  of  cotton  in 
North  Carolina.     In  1838,  he  built  the  Leaksville  cotton 


iSS  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

factor}-,  at  what  is  now  Spray,  N.  C,  and  managed  it  suc- 
cessfully as  long  as  he  lived. 

Ke  died  at  Rockbridge  Alum  Springs,  August  27,  1866. 

The  life  of  John  M.  Morehead  was  one  of  action  in  all 
he  undertook.  It  was  only  by  such  men — strong  and 
broad — that  manufacturing,  was  kept  alive  in  the  South, 
throughout  the  ascendancy  of  the  regime  of  slavery  with 
its  attendant  agricultural  aristocracy. 


H.  P.  HAMMETT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  SKETCHES.  189 

HENRY  P.  HAMMETT. 

H.  P.  Hammett  was  born  in  Greenville  county,  South 
Carolina,  December  31,  1822.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  and  worked  on  the  farm  during  vaca- 
tions.    He  taught  school  three  years. 

He  married  Jane  Bates,  daughter  of  William  Bates,  who 
was  founder  of  the  Batesville  cotton  factory  at  Batesville, 
South  Carolina. 

Air.  Hammett  was  made  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wm. 
Bates  &  Co.,  which  operated  the  cotton  factory  for  fifteen 
years. 

The  factory  was  sold  in  1863,  and  Mr.  Hammett  went 
into  the  Civil  war.  He  was  soon  after  detailed  from  the 
army  for  duty  in  the  tax  office  of  the  Confederate  govern- 
ment, where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  1865,  he  represented  Greenville  county  in  the  South 
Carolina  Legislature. 

In  1866.  he  was  made  President  of  the  Greenville  & 
Columbia  Railroad.  This  road  was  much  run  down  in 
consequence  of  the  war,  but  he  greatly  improved  it  during 
his  four  years  administration. 

He  resigned  his  position  from  the  railroad  to  build  the 
Piedmont  cotton  mill,  and  had  it  well  under  way  when  the 
panic  of  1873  caused  him  to  suspend  operations.  He 
succeeded  in  raising  the  capital  and  starting  again  in  1876. 
The  mill  was  started  with  10,000  spindles  and  300  looms, 
and  was  steadily  increased  in  capacity,  until  in  1891,  there 
were  45,944  spindles.  This  was  the  first  cotton  mill  in  the 
South  to  make  for  the  export  trade,  36  inch  sheetings, 
three  yards  to  the  pound.  Following  this  lead,  there  has 
been  a  large  and  growing  export  trade  of  cotton  goods 
from  the  South  to  China. 

Mr.  Hammett  may  be  said  to  have  inaugurated  a  re- 
naissance of  cotton  milling  in  the  South.  For,  while 
there  was  a  general  renewal  of  the  industry  throughout 
the  country,  after  the  abolition  of  slavery,  it  was  on  the  old 
lines,  and  with  more  or  less  old  machinery.  The  Piedmont 
mill  was  designed,  built  and  equipped  after  strictly  mod- 
•ern  plans. 


190  BIOGRAPHICAL,   SKETCHES. 

Mr.  Hammett  was  also  President  of  the  Camperdown 
Mills  in  Greenville,  South  Carolina. 

He  was  for  several  years  mayor  of  the  city  of  Greenville^ 
and  manifested  great  interest  in  all  industries  of  the  city. 

He  was  eminently  successful  in  managing  the  "factory 
village."  He  took  pleasure  in  looking  after  the  educa- 
tional and  religious  welfare  of  his  operatives. 

He  died  May  8,  1891. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Stattettcal   tables   an^  IRotee   IRelattua  to 
Cotton  fiDanufacturtna- 

The  tables  have  been  compiled  and  computed  from  a 
large  number  of  sources.  The  United  States  census  re- 
ports have  been  used,  when  available. 

There  is  confusion  in  many  tables  of  cotton  statistics, 
on  account  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  word  "bale."  It  is 
sometimes  used  to  mean  the  actual  bales  of  random 
weight,  as  they  come  into  market;  and  sometimes  reduced 
to  bales  of  400  pounds  "net  weight" — that  is,  exclusive  of 
bagging  and  ties;  and  sometimes  reduced  to  450  pounds 
net  weight. 

The  random  bale  method  gives  no  information  as  to  the 
actual  amount  of  cotton  represented,  unless  the  average 
net  weight  of  bale  is  specified.  This  is  especially  true  of 
the  early  history  of  the  business,  when  the  average  net 
weight  of  bale  varied  from  225  pounds  in  1800,  to  480 
pounds  in  1890.  Since  that  time  the  average  net  weights 
have  ranged  close  about  480. 

In  foreign  markets,  the  net  weight  of  cotton  bales  is  an 
important  unit,  for  the  reason  that  coton  is  sold  on  that 
basis. 

But  for  the  purposes  of  discussing  our  domestic  produc- 
tion and  consumption,  the  "gross  weight" — that  is  inclu^ 
sive  of  bagging  and  ties — is  the  important  unit.  All  sales 
on  domestic  markets  are  made  on  gross  weights. 

For  the  past  20  years,  the  gross  weight  of  bales  has  av- 
eraged about  500  pounds.  Therefore,  for  convenience  in 
computation,  the  word  "bale"  is  here  taken  to  mean  500 
pounds,  including  the  weight  of  bagging  and  ties. 


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TABLE  XXIII.— SHOWING  THE  DISTRIBUTION   OF   COTTON 
SPINDLES  IN  THE   WORLD.— ESTIMATED  FOR  igcxj. 


Country. 


Great  Britain 

Continental  Europe 

India 

Japan  

China 

Canada 

Mexico 

United  States 

Total 7 


No.    Spindles. 

Per    Cent. 

46,000,000 

42.9 

33,000,000 

30.8 

4,500,000 

4.2 

1,500,000 

1.4 

1,000,000 

•9 

700,000 

.7 

500,000 

•5 

20,000,000 

18.6 

107,200,000 

lOO.O 

TABLE    XXIV.— SHOWING    NUMBER    OF    COTTON  SPINDLES 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  FROM  1800  TO  1900.     ALSO 

THE  VALUE  OF  GOODS  PRODUCED. 


Year. 

No.  Spindles. 

Value  of  Product. 

1800 

2,000 

$        170,000 

1810 

90,000 

3,240,000 

1820 

220,000 

25,000,000 

1830 

1,200,000 

27,000,000 

1840 

2,300,000 

46,350,000 

1850 

2,500,000 

61,869,000 

i860 

5,200,000 

115,682,000 

1870 

7,100,000 

177,490,000 

1880 

10,700,000 

192,090,000 

1890 

14,200,000 

267,982,000 

(Est.)  1900 

20,000,000 

450,000,000 

TABLE  XXV— SHOWING  VALUE  OF   ALL    PRODUCl^S  MANU- 
FACTURED IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  FROM  1850  TO  1900. 


1850 

$  1,019,106,000 

i860 

1,885,862,000 

1870 

3,385,860,000 

1880 

5,345,191,000 

1890 

9,056,765,000 

(Est.) 

1900 

20,000,000,000 

TABIyE  XXVI— SHOWING    WHAT    PER   CENT.  OF   THE  COST 

OF    COTTON    GOODS    IS    THE    RAW  MATERIAL,  AND 

WHAT  PER  CENT.  IS  LABOR.     ALSO  SHOWING 

PRODUCTION      OF      COTTON     YARN 

PER   SPINDLE. 


Section. 


United  States 

New  England  States 

Middle   States 

Southern  States 


Per  cent,  of  Whole  Cost. 


Cotton. 


44 
42 

34 
59 


Labor. 


26 
28 
26 
19 


Production, 
Pounds    per 
Spindle   per 
Year. 


79 
66 

78 
161 


TABLE  XXVII— SHOWING   SOME  COUNTIES  IN  NORTH  AND 

SOUTH  CAROLINA  THAT  SPIN  MORE  COTTON  THAN 

THEY  PRODUCE. 


ESTIMATED  FOR   I900. 

Bales  500  Pounds  Gross. 

Spin. 

Produce. 

Deficit. 

Spartanburg  Co.,  S.  C 

Greenville  Co.,  S.  C 

Anderson  Co.,  S.  C 

'Gaston  Co. ,  N.  C 

Mecklenburg  Co.,  N.  C 

180,000 
65,000 
70,000 
50,000 
30,000 

45,000 
40,000 
60,000 
15,000 
20,000 

135,000 
15,000 
10,000 
35.000 
10,000 

Export  Trade. 

Some  of  the  figures  in  the  preceding  tables  are  interest- 
ing, as  exhibiting  the  needs  of  the  United  States  in  the 
matter  of  export  trade.  It  will  be  noted  from  table  XXIV 
that  the  spindles  in  the  United  States  numbered  in  1890 
fourteen  million.  By  taking  the  number  now  in  operation, 
and  those  ordered  and  which  will  be  in  operation,  it  is 
manifest  that  in  1900  the  United  States  will  have  twenty 
million  spindles  in  operation.  Assuming  a  normal  domes- 
tic market  in  1890,  it  is  plain  that  the  product  of  the 
additional  six  million  spindles  must  have  found  export 
markets,  or  else  there  would  have  been  a  most  serious 
depression  in  the  business  of  cotton  manufacture,  and  a 
sharp  check  on  the  construction  of  new  mills.  There  would 
also  have  necessarily  developed  a  harsh  competition  between 
the  mills  of  New  England  and  the  South,  for  the  limited 
domestic  trade.  As  a  matter  of  fact  something  of  that 
unnecessary  competition  did  show  itself  from  about  1893 
to  1896,  as  the  mills  increased.  The  severity  of  this  com- 
petition was  only  relieved  by  growth  of  export  markets, 
which  are  now  taking  our  surplus.  This  trade  was  devel- 
oped with  very  little  help  from  our  government,  and  with 
no  great  exertion  on  the  part  of  our  merchants.  It  grew 
because  of  the  necessity  here,  and  because  of  the  complete 
ripeness  of  the  Chinese  and  other  foreign  markets,  largely 
based  upon  the  superior  quality  of  American  goods. 

We  cannot  further  rely  upon  the  spontaneous  growth  of 
foreign  markets.  Other  governments,  observing  our  ad- 
vantage, will  take  steps  in  the  interest  of  their  people  to 
balance  our  natural  advantages.  Russia  is  now  moving  to 
do  this  in  Manchuria,  by  "spheres  of  influence,"  by  railropd 
construction,  and  by  other  means. 

From  table  XXV,  it  will  be  noted  that  in  1890  the  value 
of  the  manufactured  products  in  the  United  States  aggre- 
gated about  9  billion  dollars.  In  1900  the  value  of 
these    products    are    estimated  at     20    billion  dollars,    or 


more  than  double  1890.  Here  again  it  is  made  apparent 
that  the  depressed  condition  of  business  from  1893  to  1896 
was  made  by  an  excess  of  production  for  limited  markets, 
and  that  the  relief  came  in  the  shape  of  export  trade. 
Since  then  conditions  have  been  constantly  improving  in 
proportion  to  the  expansion  of  this  trade. 

Inasmuch  as  the  further  growth  of  our  manufactures  is 
dependent  upon  export  trade,  the  facilities  necessary  for  its 
promotion  seem  to  be  as  follows  : 

1.  Construction  of  an  Isthmian  ship  canal. 

2.  Extension  of  our  merchant  marine  to  make  the  ocean 
transportation  facilities,  which  are  necessary  to  carry 
our  goods. 

3.  Reform  consular  service  to  make  it  serve  our  commerce, 
rather  than  politics. 

4.  Keep  the  Philippines,  and  maintain  the  integrity  of 
the  Chinese  Empire,  and  the  freedom  of  trade  in  that 
Empire  on  equal  terms  to  all  nations. 


NOTES  ON  SO:\[E  EARLY  SOUTHERN  COTTON 

MILLS. 

1 813.  Michael  Schenck  and  Absalom  Warlick  (his 
brother-in-law),  built  a  mill  on  Mill  Branch,  one  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  Lincolnton,  Lincoln  County, 
N.  C.  Much  of  the  machinery  was  built  by  Michael 
Bean,  on  the  premises.  The  original  contract  fo¥ 
this  machinery  is  still  in  existence.  For  $1,300, 
Bean  built  and  installed  2  spinning  frames  with  70 
fliers  each,  and  2  cards  and  i  picker. 
John  Hoke  and  Dr.  James  Bivings  bought  an  interest 
in  the  mill  in  1819. 

1817.  Joel  Battle  and  Henry  A.  Donaldson  built  a  mill 
at  the  Falls  of  Tar  River  (now  Rocky  Mount),  N.  C. 
They  worked  negro  slave  labor.  Mill  was  burned 
by  Union  army,  1863. 

1830.  Henry  Humphreys  built  the  "Mount  Hecla  Mills," 
at  Greensboro,  N.  C.  It  was  3  stories  high. 
It  was  the  first  steam  cotton  mill  in  North  Carolina. 
The  machinery  was  shipped  from  Philadelphia  to 
Wilmington,  N.  C,  thence  up  the  river  to  Fayette- 
ville,  N.  C,  and  carried  across  the  country  in  wagons 
to  Greensboro. 

Humphreys  issued  private  paper  money  in  1832,  with 
which  he  paid  his  operatives  and  paid  for  cotton. 
These  were  in  denominations  of  .12^,  .25,  .50, 
$1.00,  $3.00,  $5.00.  Some  of  the  bills  are  still  in  exist- 
ence. He  redeemed  the  bills  with  gold.  Thomas 
R.  Tate  was  a  clerk  for  Humphreys.  He  bought  the 
mill.  When  wood  for  fuel  grew  scarce  around 
Greensboro,  Tate  moved  the  mill  by  wagon  to 
Mountain  Island,  N.  C,  where  it  was  operated  by 
water  power. 

1832-34.  E.  M.  Holt  built  a  mill  on  Alamance  Creek, 
in  Orange  County,  N.  C.  W.  A.  Carrigan  was  asso- 
ciated with  him. 


202  EARLY  SOUTHERN  COTTON  MILLS. 

1833.  John  W.  Leak  built  a  mill  at  Great  Falls,  N.  C. 
It  was  chartered  as  "The  Richmond  Manufacturing 
Company."  Mill  was  burned  by  the  Union  army  in 
1865,  and  rebuilt  in  1869. 

1833.  General  McDuffie  and  Mitchell  King  built  a  mill 
at  Vaucluse,  S.  C. 

1836.  Francis  Fries  and  Dr.  Schumann  built  a  mill  at 
Salem,  N.  C. 

1838.     John  M.  Morehead  built  a  mill  at  Leaksville,  N.  C. 

1847.     William  Gregg  built  a  mill  at  Graniteville,  S.  C. 


APPENDIX. 


ESSAYS  ON  DOMESTIC  INDUSTRY, 


OR 


An    Inquiry    into    the    Expediency    of    Establishing    Cotton 
Manufactures   in   South   Carolina, 


WRITTEN   BY 

WILLIAM  GREGG, 

Of  Edgefield  District,  South  Carolina  in  1845. 


PREFACE  TO  APPENDIX. 


The  matter  for  my  book,  "Cotton 
Mill,  Commercial  Features,"  was  col- 
lected through  a  period  of  more  than  10 
years.  In  all  that  time,  I  have  been  in 
close  contact  wi-tto  the  subject,  as  Eln- 
gineer  or  Contractor,  or  both,  in  a  long' 
list  of  new  and  old  mills.  After  com- 
pleting the  manuscript,  I  went  to  the 
Pelzer  mill,  in  connection  with  some 
contract  work,  and  was  shown  by  Capt. 
E.  A.  Smythe,  president  of  that  com- 
pany a  pamphlet,  made  up  of  essays, 
by  William  Gregg,  which  were  original- 
ly published  dn  the  Charleston  Courier, 
in  1845.  The  pamphlet  practically  covers 
the  ground  that  my  book  is  intended  to 
cover.  Thus,  more  than  fifty  years  ago, 
the  subject  I  am  treating,  was  present- 
ed to  the  people  of  South  Carolina,  on 
the  same  lines  on  which  I  present  it, 
even  more  fully  and  more  cogently 
than  I  have  succeeded  in  doing. 

Mr.  Gregg  built  the  Graniteville  fac- 
tory, ttoen  in  Edgefield  District.  Prom 
its  beginning  to  the  present  time,  it  has 
prospered. 

He  advocated  the  idea  of  fruit  cul- 
ture in  Southern  climates  for  Northern 
markets,  and  himself  planted  orchards. 
It  is  now  more  than  a  half  a  century, 
and  fruit  culture,  on  plans  formulated 
by  Mr.  Gregg,  is  just  developing. 

I  heard  of  an  incident  that  occurred 
in  a  political  contest  between  Mr.  Gregg 
and  Chancellor  .Carroll,  for  the  place  of 
State  Senator  from  Edgefield  District. 
It  was  the  habit  for  candidates  to  ap- 
pear together  and  speak  to  the  people 


from  the  same  platform,  and  at  the 
same  meetings.  On  one  of  these  occa- 
sions, Mr.  Gregg  spoke  first.  He  stated 
that  he  solicited  votes  on  the  ground 
that  he  had  built  a  factory,  wlilch  gave 
work  to  poor  white  people.  It  enhanced 
the  value  of  cotton  by  manufacturing 
it.  He  had  planted  peach  orchards  to 
develop  new  avenues  of  profit  and  ad- 
vantage to  the  people,  &c.,  &c.  Where- 
as, Chancellor  Carroll  had  never  made 
two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  only 
one  grew  before. 

Mr.  Carroll  followed  Mr.  Gregg.  He 
was  an  accomplished  orator,  and 
praised  in  eloquent  terms,  Mr.  Gregg's 
enterprise  in  building  a  factory.  He 
eulogized  his  plans  for  fruit  culture. 
He  admitted',  with  humility,  all  the  de- 
linquencies Mr.  Gregg  charged  against 
him  excepting  only  one:  "He  says  I 
never  made  two  blades  of  grass  grow 
where  only  one  grew  before.  Having 
faith  in  Mr.  Gregg's  plans  and  advice 
about  orchards,  I  planted  one,  and  if 
anybody  is  disposed  to  believe  I  never 
made  grass  grow,  I  simply  Invite  them 
to  go  look  at  that  orchard.  It  is  liter- 
ally run  away  with  grass."  The  crowd 
laughed,  voted  for  Mr.  OarroU  and  the 
cause  of  slavery  went  forward  while 
Mr.  Gregg  staid  at  home  and  the  cause 
of  civilization  languished. 

During  the  last  half  century  Mr. 
Gregg's  arguments  were  almost  lost, 
but  events  are  now  vindicating  his 
position.  In  the  town  of  Edgefield, 
itself.a     cotton    mill    has    been    lately 


206 


PREFACE  TO    APPENDIX. 


built,  and  the  most  prospering  farming 
section  of  what  was  then  the  Dis'trict, 
is  now  devoting  its  energies  to  fruit  cul- 
ture, with  profit  and  satisfaction. 

I  publish  Mr.  Gregg's  pamphlet,  as  an 
appendix  to  this  book,  because  it  seems 
to  me  that  his  arguments  are  as  good 
to-day  and  for  our  time,  as  for  the  time 
in  which  they  were  written  and  pub- 
lished. 

The    data    that    Mr.    Gregg    gathered 


from  the  New  England  factories  show 
that  they  were  established  in  about 
the  same  way  as  we  are  now  establish- 
ing factories  in  the  South. 

Eor  the  use  of   a    copy   of    this    rare 
pamphlet,  and  for  permission  to  repub- 
lish it,  I  beg  to  extend  sincere  thanks 
Capt.  E.  A.  Smythe,  of  Pelzer,  S.  C. 
D.  A.  TOMPKINS, 
Charlotte,  N.  C,  Oct.  15,  1899. 


ESSAYS  ON  DOMESTIC  INDUSTRY, 


Or   An  Inquiry  Into  the  Expediency  of    Establishing  Cotton  Manu- 
factures in  South  Carolina. 


CHAPTEOR   I. 

It  must  be  apparent  to  all  men  of 
discernment  that  whether  a  tariff  for 
proteotion  is  continued  or  not,  our  only- 
safety,  in  this  State,  lies  in  a  chan'g"e 
of  our  industrial  pursuits.  The  United 
States  is  destined  to  be  a  great  manu- 
facturing- country,  and  a  few  years, 
even  withou'C  a  protective  tartff,  will 
place  her  on  a  footing  with,  if  not 
ahead  of,  the  most  skillful  nations,  and 
all  who  have  any  knowledge  of  the  sub- 
ject admit  that  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  possess  advantages,  which  only 
need  to  be  fostered  to  lead  to  success 
in  cotton  manufaotufing.  We  already 
see  North  Carolina  on  the  one  side,  and 
Georgia  on  the  other,  making  rapid 
strides  in  these  pursuits,  and  shall  we 
stand  With  our  arms  foMed,  crying 
save  us  from  our  oppressors,  until  we 
are  awakened  to  compete  with  those 
neighboring  States,  skilled  in  the  arts? 
It  is  only  necessary  for  us  to  turn  our 
faces  to  the  southwest  to  beliold  the 
people  who  are  to  take  the  very  bread 
from  our  mouths,  if  we  continue  to 
place  our  reliance  on  the  culture  of  cot- 
ton, and  the  time  is  at  hand  when  we 
shall  set  about,  in  good  earnest,  chang- 
ing our  pursuits.  It  would  indeed  be 
well  for  us,  if  we  were  not  so  refined 
in  politics' — if  the  talent,  which  has 
been,  for  years  past,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  embittering  our  indolent  peo- 
ple against  their  industrious  neiglibors 
of  the  North,  had  been  with  the  same 
zeal  engaged  in  promoting  domestic 
industry  and  the  encouragement  of  the 
mechanical  arts.  If  so,  we  should  now 
see  a  far  different  state  of  things  in 
South  Carolina.  It  is  only  necessary 
'to  travel  over  the  sterile  mountains  of 
Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  Vermont, 
and  New  Hampshire,  to  learn  the  true 
secret  of  our  difficulties,  (Mr.  McDuf- 
fie  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding)  to 
learn  the  difference  between  indolence 
and  industry,  extravagance  and  econo- 
my. We  there  see  the  scenery  which 
would  take  the  place  of  our  umpaimted 
mansions,  dilapidated  cabins  wi'th  mud 
chimneys  and  no  windows,  broken  down 
raiil  fences,  fields  overgrown  with  weeds. 


and  thrown  away,  half  exhausted,  to 
be  taken  up  by  pine  thickets,  beef  cat- 
tle unprotected  from  the  inclemency 
of  winter,  and  so  poor  as  barely  to  pre- 
serve life.  In  fact,  every  evidence  'that 
can  possibly  be  exhibited  to  satisfy  a 
stranger  that  we  are,  to  say  the  least, 
desititute  of  every  feature  which  char- 
acterizes an  industrious  people,  may 
be  seen  among  us.  Laying  aside  'the 
vexed  question  of  a  tariff  for  protection, 
which  I  don't  pretend  to  advocate,  I 
cannot  see  how  we  are  to  look  with  a 
reasonable  hope  for  relief,  even  from 
its  abandonment,  withou't  a  total  change 
of  our  habits.  My  recent  visit  to  the 
Northern  States  has  fully  satisfied  me 
that  the  true  secre't  of  our  diffloulties 
lies  in  the  laziness  on  the  part  of  tliose 
who  ought  to  labor.  We  need  never 
look  for  thrift  while  we  permit  our  im- 
mense timber  forests,  granite  quarries 
and  mines,  to  lie  idle,  and  supply  our- 
selves with  hewn  granite,  pine  boards, 
laths  and  shingles,  etc.,  furnished  by 
the  lazy  dogs  at  the  North — ah,  worse 
than  this,  we  see  our  back  country 
farmers,  many  of  whom  are  too  lazy  to 
mend  a  broken  gate,  or  repair  the 
fences,  to  protect  their  crops  from  the 
neighboring  stock,  actually  supplied 
with  their  axe,  hoe  and  broom  handles, 
pitch  forks,  rakes,  etc.,  by  the  indolent 
mountaineers  of  New  Hampshire  and 
M as saJchu setts.  The  time  was,  when 
every  old  woman  in  the  country  had 
her  gourd,  from  which  the  country 
gardens  were  supplied  with  seeds.  We 
now  find  it  more  convenient  to  permit 
this  duty  to  devolve  on  our  careful 
friends,  the  Yankees.  Even  our  boat- 
oars,  and  hand-spikes  for  rolling  logs, 
are  furnished,  ready  made,  to  our  hand, 
and  what  jim-crack  can  possibly  be  in- 
vented of  which  we  are  not  'the  pur- 
chasers? These  are  the  drains  whicti 
are  impoverishing  the  South — these  are 
the  true  sources  of  all  our  difficulties. 
Need  I  add,  to  further  exemplify  our 
excessive  indolence,  that  the  Charles- 
ton market  is  supplied  with  fish  and 
wild  game  by  Northern  men,  who  come 
out  here,  as  regularly  as  the  winter 
comes,  for  this  purpose,  and  from  our 
own  waters  and  forests  often     realize. 


208 


DOMESTIC  INDUSTRY. 


in  the  course  of  one  winter,  a  sufficien- 
cy to  purchase  a  small  farm  in  New 
England. 

Oh,  fie,  Gen.  McDufRe,  why  are  you 
no't  engaged  in  the  great  cause  of  re- 
forming the  habits  of  your  countrymen? 
You  once  counted  the  profit  of  cotton- 
spinning,  and,  to  use  the  language  of 
one  of  your  co-partners,  came  to  the 
conclusion,  that  'the  establishment  you 
"were  erecting,  would  be  a  perfect  mint. 
You  engaged  in  this  business  with  great 
zeal.  Why  did  you  permit  the  estab- 
lishment to  dwindle,  sicken  and  die, 
purely  for  want  of  that  attention, 
which  you  well  know  is  essential  to  the 
success  of  your  cotton  plantation? 
Why  did  you  not  follow  the  patriotic 
example  of  the  Lowells,  Boofts,  Jack- 
sons,  Appletons,  and  Lawrences,  of 
Boston?  who,  after  fighting  for  years 
with  their  native  State  against  the  pro- 
tective system,  and  finding  it  fastened 
up^m  her,  did  not  stop  to  pre'aeh  the 
doctrine  of  State  resistance,  but  at  once 
withdrew  their  capital  from  the  chan- 
nels of  commerce,  which  had  hitherto 
yielded  them  princely  fortunes,  and 
commenced  cutting  their  way  into  the 
forests  of  Massachusetts,  damming  up 
rivers,  digging  can'als,  and  erecting 
manuifacturing  establishments,  which 
have  yielded  to  their  country  tenfold 
the  capital  invested  in  them,  and  they 
that  are  now  living,  are  enjoying  well- 
earned  fortunes,  and  have  the  satisfac- 
tion of  knowing  that  they  gave  the  im- 
pulse to  a  system  which  hajs  elicited 
every  energy  that  the  State  is  capable 
of  exerting. 

Had  you,  in  your  new-born  zeal  for 
manufac'turing,  mixed  a  little  more  pa- 
triotism with  your  efforts,  you  would 
have  taken  the  pains  to  ascertain  why 
your  Vaucluse  establishment  did  not 
realize  the  sanguine  expectations  of  its 
proprie'tors.  You  wtould  have  put  your 
own  shoulders  to  the  wiieel,  and  by  in- 
vesting a  portion  of  your  large  plant- 
ing capital  in  the  concern,  with  your 
knoiwn  industry,  you  could^  not  have 
failed  to  build  up  an  establishment, 
far  more  lucrative  than  your  planting 
interest.  This  itself  would  have  given 
an  impetus  to  manufacturing  worth 
millions  to  our  State.  Had  our  respect- 
ed General  Hamilton,  in  his  zeal  to 
build  up  Charleston,  engaged  in  man- 
ufacturing, instead  of  commerce, 
with  his  own  talents,  business 
tact  and  perseverance,  success 
would  have  been  inevitable.  This  would 
have  placed  him  beyond  the  reach  of 
that  withering'  storm  which  ship- 
wrecked the  fortunes  and  blighted  the 
prospects  of  the  wisest  merchants  in 
the  world.     With  his  large  capital  and 


due  a'ttention,  there  can  be  no  doubt  as 
to  what  would  have  been  the  result  of 
his  engaging  in  cotton  manufacturing. 
Had  these  two  gentlemen.  Gen.  Mc- 
Duffie  and  Gen.  Hamilton,  put  their 
capital  into  manufacturing  in  1833, 
there  is  no  telling  to  what  extent  it 
would  have  changed  the  investments  of 
the  State.  It  would,  in  all  probability, 
have  saved  the  greater  portion  of  the 
large  sum  lost  to  our  citizens  by  the 
failure  of  the  United  States  Bank,  and 
it  would  certainly  have  made  valuable 
producers  of  many  individuals  who  are 
now  worthless  consumers. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  change  in  our  habits  and  indus- 
trial pursuits  is  a  far  greater  desidera- 
tum than  any  change  in  the  laws  of 
our  government,  which  the  most  clam- 
orous opponents  of  the  tariff  could  de- 
vise. He  who  has  possessed  himself 
of  the  notion  that  w^e  have  the  indus- 
try, and  are  wronged  out  of  our  hard 
earnings  by  a  lazy  set  of  scheming 
Yankees,  to  get  rid  of  his  delusion, 
needs  only  seat  himself  on  the  Charles- 
ton wharves  for  a  few  days,  and  be- 
hold ship  after  ship  arrive,  laden  down 
with  the  various  articles  produced  by 
Yankee  industry.  Let  him  behold  these 
vessels  discharging  their  cargoes  and 
count  the  cost  to  South  Carolina.  Prom 
the  month  of  September  till  May,  our 
wharves  are  crowded,  not  only  with 
the  articles  manufactured  by  the  hand- 
icraftsmen of  the  North,  but  with  vast 
quantities  of  dairy  articles,  and  all 
kinds  of  culinary  vegetables,  which  are 
far  better  adapted  to  the  soil  of  South 
Carolina,  than  to  those  places  where 
they  are  grow^n.  Here  may  be  seen  a 
picture  that  ought  to  bring  a  blush  on 
the  face  of  the  statesman  who  would 
advocate  legislative  resistance  as  the 
remedy  for  our  State.  It  ought  to 
make  every  citizen  who  feels  an  inter- 
est in  his  country,  ashamed  to  visit 
the  clothing  stores  of  Charleston,  and 
see  the  vast  exhibition  of  ready  made 
clothing,  manufactured  mostly  by  the 
women  of  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Bos- 
ton and  other  Northern  cities,  to  the 
detriment  and  star^'ation  of  our  coun- 
trywomen, hundreds  of  whom  may  be 
found  in  our  own  good  city  in  wretched 
pover'ty,  unable  to  procure  work  by 
which  they  would  be  glad  to  earn  a  de- 
cent living. 

One  would  not  suppose  that  the  South 
was  laboring  under  embarrassment,  if 
he  were  to  see  the  crowds  that  are  con- 
tinually thronging  the  Northern!  cities 
and  places  of  amusement.  I  have  heard 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


209 


the  number  variously  estimated  at 
from  40  to  60  thousand  in  one  summer. 
Taking  the  lower  estimate  of  the  two 
and  allowing-  for  the  expenses  of  each 
individual  $300,  (and  this  is  certainly 
below  the  mark,)  we  shall  have  $12,000,- 
000  transferred  yearly  from  the  South 
to  the  North,  by  absenteeism.  As  bad 
off  as  we  know  South  Carolina  to  be, 
yet  we  are  certain  she  furnishes  her 
full  quota,  of  this  immense  sum.  Go 
where  you  may,  in  the  city  or  out  of  it 
— in  what  direction  you  please,  and  you 
can  scarcely  set  your  foot  into  a  rail- 
road car,  in  which  you  will  not  find 
some  half  dozen  persons  from  this 
State.  The  register  book  of  every  fash- 
ionable hotel  that  I  visited,  exhibited 
a  large  share  of  names,  with  South 
Carolina  attached  to  them.  Nor  are 
our  people  remarkable  for  their  eco- 
nomical habits,  as  the  bar-keepers  will 
inform  you,  that  their  wine  bills  exhib- 
it liberality  even  to  wastefulness.  You 
may  see  them  too,  flying  around  cities, 
in  the  finest  and  most  costly  equipages 
that  money  can  procure,  and  Tv^ile  a 
millionaire  of  New  York  is  content  to 
ride  in  an  omnibus,  from  Wall  street 
to  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  many  of 
these  persons,  not  worth  ten  thousand 
dollars,  would  be  ashamed  to  be  seen 
in  such  vehicles.  With  tailors,  milli- 
ners, mantua-makers,  etc.,  these  per- 
sons are  considered  to  have  gold  with- 
out measure,  and  it  is  a  perfect  wind- 
fall for  them  to  meet  occasionally  with 
one.  You  cannot  step  into  a  furniture 
store,  carpet  ware  house,  or  dry  goods 
establishment,  where  fine  silks  and 
laces  are  sold,  without  meeting  per- 
sons from  our  State,  making  lavish  ex- 
penditures and  purchasing  thousands 
of  articles  of  wearing  apparel,  which 
are  not  worn  until  they  return  home, 
where  the  same  articles  can  be  ob- 
tained in  the  stores  of  our  own  trades- 
men, at  cheaper  rates  than  those  at 
which  they  were  purchased  at  the 
North. 

At  one  tailor's  establishment  in  Bos- 
ton, I  was  informed  by  the  proprietor 
that  his  sales  for  the  last  year,  to 
Charleston,  alone,  amounted  to  up- 
wards of  $50,000,  and  this  year  he  ex- 
pected they  would  reach  $80,000.  How 
much  trade  others  in  Boston  in  the 
same  business  receive  from  Charleston, 
and  what  amount  falls  to  the  lot  of  the 
fashionable  dlothiers  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  cannot  be  estimated,  but 
there  is  little  doubt,  that  the  amount 
would  be  found  quite  sufficient  to  sup- 
port three  or  four  fashionable  estab- 
lishments in  our  own   city. 

Let  South  Carolina  be  true  to  herself, 
let  her  g-o   to  work   with   a   determina- 


tion to  resist  the  Northern  tariffites,  by 
resolving  not  to  purchase  or  use  their 
articles  of  manufacture.  This  will  cure 
the  evil,  and  bring  us  to  the  point  we 
desire  to  arrive  at,  by  an  easier  and 
much  shorter  road  than  legislative  ac- 
tion. Limited  as  our  manufactures  are 
in  South  Car^olina,  we  can  now,  more 
than  supply  the  State  with  coaree  cot- 
ton fabrics.  Many  of  the  fabrics  now 
manufactured  here  are  exported  to  New 
York,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  find  their 
way  to  the  East  Indies.  We  can  most 
assuredly  make  our  own  axe  handles, 
raise  our  own  cabbages,  beets,  pota- 
toes, and  onions;  our  boys,  as  in  olden 
tim^es,  may  be  taught  to  make  their 
own  toy  wagons  and  wheel-barrows, 
our  wives  and  sisters  can  hem  our  hand- 
kerchiefs and  bake  our  bread.  If  we 
continue  in  our  present  habits,  it  would 
not  be  unreasonable  to  predict,  that 
when  the  Raleigh  railroad  is  extended 
to  Columbia,  our  members  of  the  Leg- 
islature will  be  fed  on  Yankee  baker's 
bread.  Pardon  me  for  repeating  the 
call  on  South  Carolina  to  go  to  work. 
God  speed  the  day  when  her  politicians 
will  be  exhorting  the  people  to  domes- 
tic industry,  instead  of  State  resist- 
ance; when  our  Clay  Clubs  and  Demo- 
cratic associations  will  be  turned  into 
societies  for  the  advancement  of  sci- 
entific agriculture  and  the  promotio'n 
of  mechanic  art;  when  our  capitalists 
will  be  found  following  the  example  of 
Boston  and  other  Northern  cities,  in 
making  such  investments  of  their  capi- 
tal as  will  give  employment  to  the  poor 
and  make  them  producers,  instead  of 
burthensome  consumers;  when  our  city 
council  may  become  so  enlightened  as 
to  see  the  propriety  of  following  the 
example  of  every  other  city  in  the  civ- 
ilized world,  in  removing  the  restric- 
tions on  the  use  of  the  steam  engine, 
now  indispe'nsable  in  every  department 
of  manufacturing,  and  to  be  found  by 
hundreds,  from  the  cellars  to  'the  g"ar- 
rets  of  houses,  in  the  most  densely  peo- 
pled parts  of  Philadelphia,  New  York, 
Boston,  and  other  cities.  God  speed  the 
day  when  our  State  may  contain  hun- 
dreds of  such  men  as  Mr.  Simmons,  of 
Rhode  Island,  who  manufactures  as 
large  a  quantity  of  cotton,  as  is  pro- 
duced on  Gen.  McDuiffie's  plantation,  in 
South  Carolina,  on  which  Mr.  S.  real- 
izes a  larger  profit  than  falls  to  the  lot 
of  Gen  McDuffie.  This,  he  seems  to 
think,  is  not  just  as  it  ought  to  be,  and 
complains  bitterly  of  the  government 
for  passing  such  laws  as  he.  Gen.  Mc- 
Duffie, supposes  to  be  inistrumental  in 
producinig  this  result.  This  I  appre- 
hend, however,  to  be  altogether  suppo- 
sition and  not  founded  on  fact.     How- 


210 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


ever  oppressive  the  tariff  may  be  to 
South  Carolina,  I  cannot  see  its  bear- 
ing on  this  case,  for  I  will  venture  to 
assert  that  Mr.  Simmons  is  far  more 
heavily  taxed  by  the  general  govern- 
ment than  Mr.  McDufRe,  and  receives 
no  greater  bounty  in  return.  A  large 
portion  of  Mr.  Simmons'  investment  is 
in  machinery,  and  probably  of  English 
manufacture^ — for  there  are  large  quan- 
tities of  European  machinery  used  in 
Rhode  Islanid.  On  this  outlay,  he  pays 
to  the  government  a  duty  of  40  per 
cent.  Personally,  he  certainly  con- 
sumes as  many  taxable  articles;  and 
his  fine  dressed  factory  girls  must  pay 
four  times  the  tax  to  the  government 
that  is  paid  for  the  clothing  of  Gen. 
McDufRe's  negroes — leaving  out  of  the 
case  the  fact  that  he  Gen.  McDuffie) 
raises  his  own  wool,  and  spins  and 
weaves  it,  on  his  own  place,  being  only 
at  the  expense  of  cotton  warp  thread, 
to  make  the  Linsey,  which  constitutes 
the  winter  clothing  of  his  negroes.  He 
purchases  blankets  for  the  use  of  his 
slaves.  Mr.  Simmons,  in  the  rigorous 
climate  of  Rhode  Island,  is  not  without 
the  same  necessity,  for  the  use  of  his 
operatives. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  investigate 
which  man  should  be  considered  the 
most  useful  to  his  country,  he  who 
manufactures  600  bales  of  cotton  Into 
cloth,  or  he  who  produces  the  sa.me 
from  the  soil?  It  will  be  borne  in  mind 
that,  at  this  time,  there  are  vastly  more 
cotton  goods  made  in  the  United  States 
than  is  sufficient  to  supply  home  con- 
sumption; consequently  a  large  por- 
tion of  them  are  exported  to  foreign 
nations.  There  are  now  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  new  spindles 
being  made  and  imported,  to  be  put  in 
operation  in  this  country,  in  the  course 
of  the  coming  twelve  months.  These 
will  be  competent  to  consume  one  hun- 
dred thousand  additional  bales  of  cot- 
ton, of  three  hundred  and  forty-five 
pounds  each.  As  the  home  market  is 
already  over-supplied,  the  capitalists 
now  embarking  in  the  business,  cannot 
look  to  anything  but  foreign  trade,  for 
the  consumption  of  their  fabrics.  TMs 
hundred  thousand  bales  of  cotton,  when 
worked  up,  will  have  to  be  exported, 
and  for  each  hundred  bales  of  domes- 
tics so  shipped  away,  the  manufacturer 
according  to  our  mode  of  calculaition, 
will  have  to  pay  to  the  government 
forty  bales,  for  returning  the  same  to 
this  country  in  merchandise. 

It  is  not  at  all  probable  that  Mr.  Sim- 
mons exports  all  his  fabrics;  for  the 
markets  to  which  we  export,  are  noto- 
r'iously  better  than  we  can  find  at 
home.     These    goods    will    find    English 


competitors  in  any  country  to  which 
they  may  be  taken,  and  the  fact  that 
the  eottjn  manufacturers  of  this  coun- 
try, can  effect  sales  abroad  at  remuner- 
ating prices,  is  conclusive  evidence 
that  such  goods  are  sold  in  this  coun- 
try, free  of  duty— and  that  those  en- 
gaged and  engaging  in  this  branch  of 
business,  are  not  looking  to  govern- 
ment for  laws  to  enhance  the  price  of 
their  goods. 

To-  proceed,  I  will  now  suppose  that 
Mr.  Simmons,  of  Rhode  Island,  manu- 
factures the  same  quantity  of  cot- 
ton that  Gen.  McDuffie  raises.  One  ac- 
quainted with  both  branches  of  the 
business,  would  then  come  to  the  con- 
clusion, that  the  former  employs  about 
half  the  number  of  hands  that  are  en- 
gaged with  the  latter;  and,  to  make  a 
clear  case  of  it,  I  will  suppose  Mr.  Sim- 
mons to  be  located  in  South  Carolina, 
on  the  Savannah  river,  by  the  side  of 
Gen.  McDuffie,  and  that  the  latter 
raises  600  bales  of  cotton,  while  the  for- 
mer converts  into  cloth,  and  ships  it  to 
a  foreign  country,  bringing  back  for 
the  same,  25  or  30  cents  per  pound  in- 
stead of  6  or  7  cents,  as  the  raw  ma- 
terial would,  if  sent  away.  Which  of 
these  two  individuals,  then,  should  be 
considered  the  more  useful  to  his  coun- 
try? It  would  not  take  a  school  boy 
long  to  decide  the  question.  It  cannot 
be  denied  that,  whether  in  Rhode  Is- 
land, Maine,  or  South  Carolina,  he  who 
takes  a  raw  material  and  converts  it 
into  a  fabric,  increasing  its  value  four- 
fold, and  sends  the  same  to  a  foreign 
country,  to  be  returned  in  merchant 
dise,  or  money,  is  a  more  useful  citi- 
zen to  the  country  than  he  who,  hav- 
ing a  large  number  of  laborers  at  com- 
mand, continues  to  produce  an  article 
which  the  world  is  already  overstocked 
with,  thus  adding  to  a  cause  which  may 
carry  prices  to  a  point,  far  below  what 
has  ever  yet  been  known,  and  which 
may  prove  ruinous  to  our  whole  coun- 
try. No  man  can  doubt  the  fact,  that 
any  large  cotton  planter  would  be  a 
far  more  useful  citizen,  were  his  plan- 
tation converted  into  a  provision  farm, 
and  he  engaged,  as  Mr.  Simmons  is, 
with  half  his  force,  in  cotton  spinning — 
consuming  600  bales  of  cotton,  instead 
of  producing  the  same — thus  lighten.- 
ing  instead  of  increasing  the  burden  of 
the   country. 


CHAPTER  in. 

However  unpopular  the  doctrine  of 
encouraging  domestic  industry,  in 
South  Carolina,  may  be,  I  feel  satisfied 
that  there  are  few  individuals  so  ultra 
in    their    notions,    with    reg'ard    to    our 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


211 


being  exclusively  agricultural,  tha*  will 
not  feel  charmed  with  the  idea  of  do- 
mestic industry;  it  caiiries  with  it  the 
idea  of  an  improved  condition  of  our 
country — of  compensated  industry,  and 
Comforts  around  us.  It  is  to  be  la- 
mented that  our  great,  men  are  not  to 
be  found  in  the  ranks  of  tho.se  who  are 
willing  to  lend  their  aid  in  promoting 
this  good  cause.  Are  we  :o  commence 
another  ten  years'  crusade,  to  prepare 
the  minds  of  the  people  of  this  Stafe 
for  revolution;*  thus  unhinging  every 
department  of  industry,  and  paralyz- 
ing the  best  efforts  to  promo'te  the 
welfare  of  our  country.  Already  do  we 
hear  of  persons,  high  in  the  estima- 
tion of  our  State,  largely  engaged  in 
cotton  planting,  and  on  the  side  of 
State  resistance,  expressing  doubts  as 
to  the  permanency  and  safety  of  any 
investments  that  can  be  made  in 
South  Carolina.  Lamentable,  indeed,  is 
it  to  see  so  wise  and  so  pure  a  man  as 
Langdon  Cheves  putting  forth  the  idoc- 
trtne.  to  South  Carolina,  that  manu- 
factures should  be  the  last  resort  of  a 
country.  With  the  greatest  possible  re- 
spect for  the  opinions  of  this  truly 
great  man,  and  the  humblest  preten- 
sions on  my  part,  I  will  venture  the 
assertion  that  a  greater  error  was  nev- 
er committed  by  a  statesman.  No  good 
1b  without  its  evil,  and  I  am  free  to  con- 
fess, that  when  a  people  become  so  in- 
fatuated with  the  spirit  of  manufac- 
tures, as  to  undertake  to  for'ce  large  es- 
tablishments in  unnatural  existence,  at 
the  expense  of  other  pursuits,  they  are 
committing  an  error  by  making  an  evil 
of  that  which  would  otherwise  be  a 
great  blessing.  I  admit,  also,  that  ag- 
riculture is  the  natural  and  "blessed 
employment  of  man;"  but.  that  a 
country  should  become  eminently  pros- 
perous in  agriculture,  without  a  high 
state  of  perfection  in  the  mechanic 
arts,  is  a  thing  next  to  impossible — to 
be  dreamed   of.   not   realized^a  picture 


*Those  who  are  disposed  to  agitate 
the  State  and  prepare  the  minds  of  the 
people  for  resisting  the  laws  of  Con- 
gress, and  particularly  those  who  look 
for  so  direful  a  calamity  as  the  dis- 
solution of  our  Union,  should,  above  all 
others,  be  most  anxious  so  to  diversify 
the  industrial  pursuits  of  South  Caro- 
lina, as  to  render  her  independent  of  all 
other  countries;  for  as  sure  as  this 
greatest  of  calamities  befalls  us,  we 
shall  find  the  same  causes  that  pro- 
duced it.  making  enemies  of  the  na- 
tions which  are  at  present,  the  best 
customers  for  our  agricultural  produc- 
tions. 


of  the  imagination,  not  to  be  found  in 
reality  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

What  does  this  gentleman  mean  by 
agriculture?  Does  he  intend  that  we 
shall  follow  the  footsteps  of  our  fore- 
fathers, and  still  further  exhaust  our 
soil  by  the  exclusive  culture  of  cotton? 
Does  he  not  know  that  this  system  has 
already  literally  destroyed  our  State^ 
and  driven  from  it  wealth  and  popula- 
tion—that many  of  its  wealthiest  and 
most  enterprising  citizens  have  left  it, 
in  search  of  new  and  more  productive 
lands?  Does  he  not  know  that  money 
is  not  wealth  to  a  nation,  unless  it  is 
spent  within  its  borders,  in  the  im- 
provement, mental  and  physical,  of 
the  condition  of  its  inhabitants, — in  the 
renovation  of  its  soil, — in  the  construc- 
tion of  roads  and  bridges,  in  the  erec- 
tion of  fine  houses,  and  in  planting 
orchards,  and  making  barns  for  the 
protection  of  produce  and  live  stock. 
This  is  indeed  a  kind  of  wealth  that 
will  never  be  realized  in  South  Caro-- 
lina,  without  domestic  manufactures. 
And,  lest  I  be  misunderstood  as 
to  what  I  mean  by  domestic  manufac- 
tures, I  will  here  state,  that  1  mean  the 
erection  of  steam  mills  in  Charleston, 
for  every  purpose  that  our  mechanics 
may  desire,  to  enable  them  to  compete- 
with  foreigners  in  the  manufacture  of 
thousands  of  articles,  now  imported 
into  the  State — the  erection  of  steam 
cotton  manufactories  to  employ  the 
poor  and  needy  of  this  city,  and  the 
hun'dreds  who  seem  to  have  little  else 
to  do  than  follow  our  military  parades 
through  the  streets — the  erection  of 
cotton  manufactories  throughout  the 
State,  to  employ  our  poor  and  half 
starved  population,  whose  condition 
could  not  but  be  improved  in  working 
up  a  part  of  our  cotton  into  cloth  to 
cover  their  nakedness,  and  to  clothe 
our  negroes  and  ourselves,  at  a  cost 
for  the  manufacture  of  the  coarse  fab- 
rics (osnaburgs)  of  2^4  cents  per  pound 
and  for  the  finer,  such  as  brown  an'd 
bleached  shirtings,  drillings,  and  cotton 
flannels,  of  from  3  to  8  cents  per  pound 
instead  of  sending  the  same  abroad  to 
be  returned  to  us,  charged  w^ith  12  cents 
per  pound  for  osnaburgs,  and  from  20 
to  65  cents  for  the  other  articles 
named.  I  mean  that,  at  every  village 
and  cross  road  in  the  State,  we  should 
have  a  tannery,  a  shoe-maker,  a 
clothier,  a  hatter,  a  blacksmith,  (that 
can  make  and  mend  our  ploughshares 
and  trace  chains.)  a  wagon  maker,  and 
a  carriage  maker,  with  their  shops 
stored  with  seasoned  lumber,  the  best 
of  which  may  be  obtained  in  our  for- 
ests. This  is  the  kind  of  manufactures 
I  speak  of,  as  being  necessary  to  bring 
forth    the   energies    of   a   country,    and 


212 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


give  healthful  and  vigorous  action  to 
agriculture,  commerce  and  every  de- 
partment of  industry,  and,  without 
which,  I  venture  the  assertion  that 
this  State  can  never  prosper.  This  is 
the  state  of  things  that  every  true 
friend  of  South  Carolina  ought  to  en- 
deavor to  bring  about.  If  he  wishes  to 
see  her  worn  out  and  desolate  old  fields 
turned  into  green  pastures,  her  villages 
brightened  up  with  the  hand  of  indus- 
try, her  dilapidated  farm  houses  taken 
down,  to  be  replaced  by  opulent  man- 
sions, her  muddy  and  almost  impass- 
able roads  graded  and  macadamized, 
let  him  use  his  endeavors  to  make  the 
people  of  South  Carolina  think  less  of 
their  grievances  and  more  of  the  peace- 
able means  of  redress — let  our  politi- 
cians, instead  of  teaching  us  to  hate 
our  Northern  brethren,  endeavor  to 
get  up  a  good  feeling  for  domestic  in- 
dustry—let them  teach  our  people  that 
the  true  mode  of  resistance  will  be 
found  in  making  more  and  purchasing 
less;  let  them  endeavor  to  satisfy  our 
capitalists  that  we  are  not  on  the  verge 
of  revolution,  but  that  there  is  safety 
in  investments  in  South  Carolina,  and 
no  necessity  of  seeking,  for  such  pur- 
poses, the  stocks  of  others,  or  readily 
convertible  ones  of  our  own.  There  is 
no  lack  of  capital  in  South  Carolina; 
Charleston,  herself,  possesses  all  the 
requisites,  and  it  is  only  necessary  that 
public  attention  should  be  properly  di- 
rected to  this  vast  field,  for  profitable 
investments,  in  this  State,  and  to  stop 
the  millions  which  are  being  all  the 
time  transferred  from  the  South  to  the 
North,  and  with  It  would  be  retained 
amongst  us,  the  enterprising  merchant, 
who,  on  his  retirement  from  the  toils 
of  business,  would  forget  the  green 
fields  and  pleasant  ways  of  his  native 
land,  to  mingle  with  us  in  domestic  in- 
dustry. 

Let  the  manufacture  of  cotton  be 
commenced  among  us,  and  we  shall 
soon  see  the  capital  that  has  been  sent 
out  of  our  State,  to  be  invested  in 
Georgia  State,  and  other  foreign  stocks, 
returned  to  us.  "We  shall  see  the  hid- 
den treasures  that  have  been  locked 
up,  unproductive  and  rus'ting,  coming 
forth  to  put  machinery  in  motion,  and 
to  give  profitable  employment  to  the 
present  unproductive  labor  of  our 
country.  To  give  an  idea  of  the  vari- 
ous sources  fr'om  which  capital  is 
drawn,  for  such  purposes,  I  will  state 
how  the  Merrimack  Company,  at 
Lowell,  is  made  up.  It  is  composed  of 
390  stockholders,  of  whom  there  are  46 
merchants  and  traders;  68  females;  52 
individuals  retired  from  business;  80 
administrators,  executors,  guardians 
and  trustees;  23  lawyers;  18  physicians; 


3  literary  institutions;  15  farmers;  40 
secretaries,  clerks  and  students;  45 
mechanics,  and  persons  employed  in 
the  service  of  the  company,  who  hold 
stock  to  the  amount  of  $60,000. 

Cbtton  manufactures  have  been  the 
pioneers  which  have  introduced  and 
given  an  impetus  to  all  other  branches 
of  mechanism  in  Great  Britain,  the 
continent  of  Europe,  and  this  country. 
Taking  this  for  granted,  one  would 
suppose,  that  the  persons  who  estalb- 
lished  the  extensive  iron  establishment, 
now  in  operation  in  the  mountainous 
parts  of  our  State,  although,  actuated 
by  an  enterprising  spirit,  counted  with- 
out their  host — it  was  really  putting 
the  cart  before  the  horse.  I  trust, 
however,  that  a  change  in  our  indus- 
trial pursuits  is  soon  to  take  place, 
which  will  give  a  new  aspect  to  things 
in  that  quarter,  that  those  establish- 
ments are  yet  to  thrive,  proving  to  be 
inexhaustible  sources  of  wealth  to  our 
State,  and  monuments  to  the  enter- 
prise of  their  projectors.  If  South 
Carolina  commences  the  manufacture 
of  cotton  in  earnest,  these  works  will 
be  brought  into  requisition,  and  the 
iron  produced  by  them  will  no  longer 
be  sent  to  the  Eastern  States,  to  be 
turned  into  plough  shares  for  us.  The 
endless  source  of  demand  which  will 
spring  up  for  it,  will  cause  a  home  con- 
sumption for  it  all. 

The  cheapness  of  water  power,  if  not 
the  chief,  will  at  least  constitute  one 
important  element  of  success  with  us. 
There  is,  probably,  no  State  in  the  Un- 
ion in  which  water  power  is  more 
abundant.  Leaving  out  of  the  question 
as  being  too  tedious  to  enumerate,  the 
great  number  of  water  falls  on  the 
tributary  streams  of  the  Pee  Dee,  Wa- 
teree.  Broad  and  Saluda  rivers,  we  will 
notice  those  only,  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity of  our  two  lines  of  railroad  to 
Columbia  and  Hamburg,  that  is,  with- 
in five  miles  of  them.  In  the  most 
healthy  regions  of  the  State,  abounding 
with  granite  and  building  timber,  wa- 
ter power  may  be  found,  sufficient  to 
work  up  half  the  crop  of  South  Caro- 
lina, all  of  which  is  nearly  valueless  at 
the  present  time.  For  the  tnforimation 
of  such  as  are  not  acquainted  with  the 
manner  of  computing  the  force  of  fall- 
ing water,  I  will  state,  that  the  quan- 
tity of  water  used  by  the  generality  of 
saw  mills,  running  i)ut  one  saw,  with 
a  head  of  10  feet,  will  be  sufficient  to 
produce,  if  raised  to  a  head  of  15  feet, 
50  horse  power.  From  this  statement 
persons  may  easily  calculate  what 
such  water-falls  would  be  worth,  if 
located  at  Lowell,  or  near  Philadelphia. 
In  Lowell  water  power  is  sold  at  $4 
per  spindle,   which  is  equal  to  $262  for 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


213 


each  horse  power.  At  Manyunk,  5 
miles  from  Philadelphia,  it  is  sold  for 
$100  for  every  square  inch  of  under  3 
feet  head,  and  over  a  20  foot  fall;  this 
is  equal  to  $1,016  for  each  horse  power 
It  is  not  so  valuable  at  places  unfa- 
vorably located;  but  the  price  at  which 
it  sells  in  those  above  mentioned,  ac- 
counts at  once  for  the  eagerness  with 
which  such  property  is  sought  after, 
in  situations  remote  from  navig-ation, 
and  even  «n  mountainous  countries. 

God  speed  on  the  glorious  result  that 
may  be  anticipated  fram  so  great  a 
change,  in  our  in'dustrial  pursuits. 
Were  all  our  hopes,  in  this  particular, 
consummated.  South  Carolina  would 
present  a  delightful  picture.  Every  son 
and  daughter  would  find  healthful  and 
lucrative  employment;  our  roads, 
which  are  now  a  disgrace  to  us,  would 
'be  improved;  we  wouM  no  longer  be 
under  the  necessity  of  sending  to  the 
North  for  half-made  wagons  an'd  car- 
riages, to  break  our  necks;  we  would 
have,  if  not  as  handsome,  at  least  as 
honestly  and  faithfully  made  ones, 
and  mechanics  always  a;t  hand  to  re- 
pair them.  Workshops  would  take  the 
place  of  the  throngs  of  clothing,  hat, 
an'd  shoe  stores,  and  the  watdh-word 
would  be,  from  cne  seaboard  to  the 
mountains,  success  to  domestic  indus- 
try. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

We  want  no  laws  for  the  protection 
of  those  that  embark  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  such  cotton  fabrics  as  we  pro- 
pose to  make  in  South  Carolina;  nor 
does  it  follow,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
that  because  we  advocate  a  system 
which  will  diversify  the  pursuits  of  our 
people,  and  enable  them  to  export  a 
portion  of  one  of  our  valuable  staples, 
in  a  manufactured  state,  that  we  wish 
manufacturers  to  predominate  over 
other  emplojTnents.  All  must  admit 
that,  to  a  certan  extnet,  the  system  we 
advocate  couM  not  operate  otherwise 
than  to  produce  beneficial  results,  by 
regulating  prices — by  insuring  a  cer- 
tain reward  to  labor — a  profitable  in- 
come to  capital,  and  by  infusing  health, 
vigor  and  duraisility  into  every  depart- 
ment of  industry.  It  is  a  well  estab- 
lished fact,  that  capital  employed  in 
this  State,  in  the  culture  of  cotton, 
does  not,  with  ordinary  management, 
yield  more  fhan  3  or  4,  and  in  some  in- 
stances, 2  per  cent.;  this  being  the  only 
mc^de  of  employing  our  capital,  except 
in  the  culture  of  rice,  how  can  we  ex- 
pect to  retain  men  of  capital  and  en- 
terprise among  us?  Those  having  the 
first,   must   be   wholly   wanting  in   the 


last— or  they  must  possess  an  extra- 
ordinary attachment  to  the  land  of 
their  nativity,  to  remain  with  us  un- 
der such  a  state  of  affairs. 

With  this  fact  before  us,  is  it  sur- 
prising that  South  Carolina  sihould  re- 
main stationary  in  population?  And  let 
it  be  remembered  that  the  same  cause 
which  has  produced  this  result,  will 
continue  to  operate  hurtfully,  in  the 
same  ratio,  as  the  price  of  our  great 
staple  declines.  In  all  probability,  an 
additional  outlet  will  soon  be  opened  to 
drain  us  of  our  people  and  our  capital. 
How  muc"h  this  is  to  take  from  us  re- 
mains to  be  seen.  Unless  we  be- 
take ourselves  to  some  more 
profitable  employment  than  tha 
planting  of  cotton,  what  is  to 
prevent  our  most  enterprising  planters 
from  moving,  with  their  negro  capital, 
to  the  Southwest?  What  is  to  keep  our 
businesis  men  and  moneyed  capital  in 
South  Carolina?  Capital  will  find  its 
way  to  places  that  afford  the  greatest 
remuneration,  and  in  leaving  our  State, 
it  will  carry  with  it,  its  enterprising 
owner.  These  are  truly  unpleasant  re- 
flections, but  they  force  themselves 
upon  us.  Who  can  look  forward  to  the 
future  destiny  of  our  State,  persisting 
as  she  does,  with  such  pertinacity,  in 
the  exclusive  and  exhausting  system  of 
agriculture,  without  dark  forebodings. 
If  we  listen  much  longer  to  the  ultras 
in  agriculture  and  croakers  against  me- 
chanical enterprise,  it  is  feared  *haj 
they  will  be  the  only  class  left,  to 
stir  up  the  indolent  sleepers  that  are 
indisposed  to  action,  and  that  are  will- 
ing to  let  each  day  provide  for  itself. 

Since  the  discovery  that  cotton  would 
mature  In  South  Carolina,  she  has 
reaped  a  golden  harvest;  but  it.  is 
feared  It  has  proved  a  curse  rather  than 
a  blessing,  and  I  believe  that  she  would 
at  this  day  be  in  a  far  better  condition 
had  the  discovery  never  been  made. 
Cotton  has  been  to  South  Carolina  what 
the  mines  of  Mexico  were  to  Spain,  it 
has  produced  us  such  an  aibundant  sup- 
ply of  all  the  luxuries  and  elegancies 
of  life,  with  so  little  exertion  on  our 
part,  that  we  have  become  enervated, 
unfitted  for  other  and  more  laborious 
pursuits,  and  unprepared  to  meet  the 
state  of  things,  which  sooner  or  later 
must  come  about.  Is  it  out  of  place 
here  to  predict,  that  the  day  is  not  far 
distant,  yea,  is  close  at  hand,  when 
we  shall  find  that  we  can  no  longer 
live  by  that  which  has  heretofore  yield- 
ed, us,  not  only  a  bountiful  and  sump- 
tuous living,  at  home,  but  has  furnished 
the  means  for  carrying  thousands  and 
tens     of     thousiands     of     our     citizens 


214 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY 


abroad,  to  squander  their  gold  in  other 
countries — that  we  have  wasted  the 
fruits  of  a  rich,  virgin  soil,  in  ease  and 
luxury — that  those  who  have  practiced 
sufficient  industry  and  economy  to  ac- 
cumulate capital  have  left,  or  are  leav- 
ing us,   to  populate  other  States. 

We  shall  indeed  soon  be  awakened  to 
look  about  for  other  pursuits,  and  we 
shall  find  that  our  soil  has  to  be  reno- 
vated— our  houses  and  workshops  have 
to  be  built — our  roads  and  bridges  have 
to  be  made,  all  of  which  ought  to  have 
"been  done  with  the  rich  treasures,  that 
"have  been  transferred  to  other  States. 
Let  us  begin  at  once,  before  it  is  too 
late,  to  bring  about  a  change  in  our 
industrial  pursuits — let  us  set  about  it 
■before  the  capital  and  enterprise  be  si- 
lenced — let  the  working  men  of  our 
State  who  have,  by  their  industry,  ac- 
cumulated capital,  turn  out  and  give  a 
practical  lesson  to  our  political  leaders, 
that  are  opposed  to  this  scheme.  Even 
Mr.  Calhoun,  our  great  oracle — a  states- 
man whose  purity  of  character  we  all 
revere — ^whose  elevation  to  the  highest 
office  in  the  gift  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  would  enlist  the  undivid- 
ed vote  of  South  Carolina — even  he  is 
against  us  in  this  matter;  he  will  tell 
you  that  no  mechanical  enterprise  will 
succeed  in  South  Carolina — that  good 
mechanics  will  go  where  their  talents 
•are  better  rewarded — 'that  to  thrive  in 
cotton  spinning,  one  should  go  to  Rhode 
Island — that  to  undertake  it  here,  will 
not  only  lead  to  loss  of  capital,  but  dis- 
appointment and  ruin  to  those  who  en- 
gage in  it. 

If  we  look  at  this  subject  in  the  ab- 
stract only,  we  shall  very  naturally 
come  to  the  above  conclusions;  it  is, 
however,  often  'the  case,  that  practical 
results  contradict  the  plainest  aT>stract 
propositions,  and  it  hoped,  that  in  the 
course  of  these  remarks,  it  will  be 
proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  at  least 
some  O'f  our  men  of  capital  and  enter- 
prise that  the  spinning  of  cotton  may 
\)e.  undertaken  with  a  certainty  of  suc- 
cess, in  the  two  Carolinas  and  Georgia, 
and  that  the  failures  which  have  taken 
place,  ought  not  to  deter  others  from 
embarking  in  the  businesis,  they  being 
the  result  of  unpardonable  ignorance, 
and  just  such  management  on  the  part 
of  those  interested,  as  would  prove  ruin- 
ous in  any  other  undertaking. 

There  are  those  who  understand  some 
things,  as  well  as,  if  not  better  than, 
other  people,  who  have  taken  pains  to 
give  this  subject  a  thoroug'h  investiga- 
tion, and  who  could  probably  give 
even  Mr.  Calhoun  a  practical  lesson 
concerning  it.  The  known  zeal  with 
v.-hich  this  distinguished  gentleman  has 


always  engaged  in  everything  relating 
to  the  interest  of  South  Carolina  for- 
bids the  idea  that  he  is  not  a  friend  to 
domestic  manufactures,  fairly  brought 
about;  and,  knowing,  as  he  must  know, 
the  influence  which  he  exerts,  he  should 
be  more  guarded  in  expressing  opin- 
ions adverse  to  so  good  a  cause. 

Those  who  project  new  enterprises, 
tiave  in  all  ages  and  countries  had  much 
to  contend  with,  and  if  it  were  not  that 
we  have  such  immense  advantages,  in 
the  cheapness  of  labor  and  of  the  raw 
material,  we  might  despair  of  success 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  in  South 
Carolina.  But  we  must  lecollect  that 
those  who  first  embarked  in  this  busi- 
ness in  Rhode  Island  had  the  prejudice 
of  the  whole  country  against  them. 
There  were  croakers  then  as  well  aa 
now,  and  in  addition  to  all  the  disad- 
vantages we  have  to  contend  with,  the 
wide  ocean  lay  between  them  and  the 
nations  skilled  in  mechanic  arts — the 
laws  of  England  forbade  the  export  of 
mactiinery,  and  aifixed  heavy  penal- 
ties to  prevent  the  emigration  of  arti- 
sans, and  it  was  next  to  impassible  to 
gain  access  to  her  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments; so  that  these  men  were  com- 
pletely shut  out  from  knowledge.  How 
is  it  with  us?  "We  find  no  difficulty  In 
obtaining  the  information,  which  money 
could  not  purchase  for  them,  and  which 
cost  them  years  of  to:il.  T^ie  New  Eng- 
land people  are  anxious  for  us  to  go  to 
spinning  cotton,  and  they  are  ready 
and  willing  to  give  us  all  the  requisite 
information.  The  w^orkshops  of  Eng- 
land and  America  are  thrown  open  to 
us,  and  he  who  has  the  capital  at  com- 
mand may,  by  a  visit  to  England,  or  to 
our  Northern  machine  shops,  supply 
himself  with  the  best  machinery  that 
the  world  affords,  and  also  the  best  ma- 
chinists, and  most  skillful  manufac- 
turers to  work  and  keep  it  in  order. 
With  all  these  advantages,  what  is  to 
prevent  the  success  of  a  cotton  factory 
in  South  Carolina?  It  may  safely  be 
asserted  that  failure  will  be  the  re- 
sult of  nothing  but  the  grossest  mis- 
management. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  tSie  wise 
men  of  the  day  predicted  the  failure 
of  ste'am  navigation,  and  also  of  our 
own  railroad;  it  was  said  we  were  de- 
ficient in  mechanical  skill,  and  that  we 
could  not  manage  the  complicated  ma- 
chinery of  a  steam  engine,  yet  these 
works  have  succeeded — we  have  found 
men  competent  to  manage  them — they 
grow  up  amongst  us,  and  we  are  not 
only  able  to  keep  such  machines  in  or- 
der, but  to  build  arfd  fit  them  to  steam- 
boats, mills,  locomotive  carriages,  etc., 
and   t*ie  shops  engaged  in   this  sort  of 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


215 


manufactures  do  away  with  much  of 
the  reproach  that  attaches  to  our  city 
— th'ey  remove  many  of  the  obstacles  in 
erecting  cotton  factories,  for  they  can 
furnish  steam  engines,  water  wheels, 
shafting,  and  all  the  running  gear  to 
put  machinery  in  operation. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Surely  there  is  nothing  in  cotton  spin- 
ning that  can  poison  the  atmosphere  of 
Sourh  Carolina.  Why  not  spin  as  well 
as  plant  cotton?  The  same  hand  that 
attends  the  gin  may  work  a  carding 
machine.  The  girl  who  is  capable  of 
making  thread  on  a  country  spinning 
wheel  may  do  the  same  with  equal  fa- 
cility on  the  ttirostle  frame.  The  wo- 
man who  can  warp  the  thread  and 
weave  it  on  a  common  loom  may  soon 
be  taught  to  do  the  same  on  the  power 
loom;  and  so  with  all  the  departments, 
from  the  raw  cotton  to  the  cloth.  Ex- 
perience has  proved  that  any  child, 
wSiite  or  black  of  ordinary  capacity, 
may  be  taught  in  a  few  weeks  to  be 
expert  in  any  part  of  a  cotton  factory; 
moreover,  all  overseers  who  have  expe- 
rience in  the  matter  give  a  decided 
preference   to  blacks  as   operatives. 

Montgomery,  an  English  manufac- 
turer, after  a  residence  of  eight  years 
in  this  country  (in  tiis  Treatise  on  the 
Cotton  Manufactures  of  the  United 
States  Compared  with  Great  Britain), 
says:  "If  the  experiment  of  slave  labor 
succeeds  in  factories  as  is  confidently  ex- 
pected, the  cost  of  manufacturing  the 
cctton  into  cloth  will  be  much  less  there 
(United  States)  than  anywhere  else,  so 
that  it  will  not  be  surprising  if  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  those  Southern 
factories  s^iould  manufacture  coarse 
cotton  goods  and  sell  them  in  the  pub- 
lic markets  at  one-half  the  price,  at 
which  they  are  manufactured  in  Eng- 
land. TTiere  are  several  cotton  factories 
in  Tennessee  operated  entirely  by  slave 
labor,  there  not  being  a  white  man  in 
the  mill  but  the  superintendent,  and  ac- 
cording to  a  letter  lately  received  from 
the  superintendent  of  one  of  these  fac- 
tories it  appears  that  the  blacks  do 
their  work  in  every  respect  as  well  as 
could  be  expected  from  whites." 

There  are  many  reasons  why  blacks 
should  be  preferred,  two  of  which  may 
he  adduced.  Fir.st,  you  are  not  under 
the  necessity  of  educating  them  and 
have,  therefore,  their  uninterrupted 
services  from  the  age  of  eight  years. 
The  second  is.  that  when  you  have  your 
mill  filled  with  expert  hands  you  are 
not  pubipcted  to  the  change  which  is 
constantly   taking  place     with     whites. 


In  the  Northern  States  these  are  incon- 
veniences of  no  small  moment.  In  Mas- 
sachusetts the  laws  forbid  the  employ- 
ment of  'persons  under  fourteen  years 
of  age  unless  the  employer  can  show  a 
certificate  from  a  school  master,  stating 
that  the  individual  has  been  at  school 
three  months  in  the  year.  The  teach- 
ing of  new  hands  and  the  constant 
change  of  operatives  are  evils  seriously 
felt;  and  in  the  summer  season,  when  it 
is  desirable  to  ramble  in  the  country 
many  eastern  factories  have  one-third 
of  their  machinery  standing  idle  for  the 
want  of  hands.  While  on  this  part  of 
my  subject,  I  would  ask,  shall  we  stop 
at  the  effort  to  prove  the  capacity  of 
blacks  for  manufacturing?  Shall  we 
pass  Unnoticed  the  thousands  of  poor, 
ignorant,  degraded  white  people  among 
us  who,  in  this  land  of  plenty,  live  in 
comparative  nakedness  and  starvation? 
Many  a  one  is  reared  in  proud  South 
Carolina,  from  birth  to  manhood  who 
has  never  passed  a  month  in  which  he 
has  not  some  part  of  the  time,  been 
stinted  for  meat.  Many  a  mother  is 
there  who  will  tell  you  that  her  children 
are  but  scantily  supplied  with  bread 
and  much  more  scantily  with  meat,  and 
if  they  be  clad  with  comfortable  rai- 
ment it  is  at  the  expense  of  their  scan- 
ty allowance  of  food.  These  may  be 
startling  statements  but  they  are  nev- 
ertheless true,  and  if  not  believed  in 
Cha-rleston  the  members  of  our  Legis- 
lature who  have  traversed  the  State  in 
electioneering  campaigns  can  attest 
their  truth. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  build  a  manu- 
facturing village  of  shanties  in  a 
healthy  location  in  any  part  of  the 
State  to  have  crowds  of  these  poor  peo- 
ple around  you  seeking  employment  at 
half  the  compensation  given  to  the  op- 
eratives at  the  North.  It  is  indeed 
painful  to  be  brought  in  contact  with 
such  ignorance  and  degradation;  but 
on  the  other  hand  it  is  pleasant  to  wit- 
ness the  change,  which  soon  takes  place 
in  the  condition  of  those  who  obtain 
employment.  The  emaciated,  pale- 
faced  children  soon  assume  the  ap- 
pearance of  robust  health  and  their  tat- 
tered garments  are  exchanged  for  those 
suited  to  a  better  condition.  If  you 
visit  their  dwellings  you  will  find  their 
tables  supplied  with  wholesome  food; 
and  on  the  Sabbath,  when  the  females 
turn  out  in  their  gay  colored  gowns, 
you  will  imagine  yourself  surrounded 
by  groups  of  city  belles.  How  easy 
would  it  be  for  the  proprietors  of  such 
establishments,  with  only  a  small  share 
of  philanthropy  to  make  good  use  of 
the  school  fund  in  ameliorating  the 
condition  of  this  class  of  our  po-pulation 


216 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


now  but  little  elevated  above  the  In- 
dian of  the  forest.  The  cause  of  this 
degradation  and  poverty  will  hereafter 
be  noticed;  it  is  an  interesting  subject 
and  one  that  ougtit  to  engage  the  at- 
tention of  every  philanthropist  and 
Christian.  It  is,  perhaps,  not  general- 
ly known  that  theie  are  twenty-nine 
thousand  white  persons  in  this  State 
above  the  age  of  twelve  years,  who 
can  neither  read  nor  write— this  is 
about  one  in  every  five  of  the  white 
population. 

That  we  are  behind  the  age  in  agri- 
culture, the  mechanic  arts,  industry 
and  enterprise,  is  apparent  to  all  who 
pass  through  our  State;  our  good  city 
of  Charleston  speaks  a  language  on 
this  subject  not  to  be  mistaken;  she  has 
lost  1,000  of  her  population  according  to 
'the  census  of  1840,  while  her  sister  cities 
have  doubled  and  quadrupled  theirs; 
she  has  had  for  thirteen  years  the  ad- 
vantage of  theSouth  CarolinaRailroad, 
which  under  ordinary  circumstances 
should  have  doubled  the  number  of  her 
population.  How  does  she  now  stand? 
Precisely  where  she  stood  twenty  years 
ago,  and,  but  for  the  two  conflagra- 
tions which  swept  off  many  of  her  old 
houses  she  would  present  at  this  mo- 
ment the  same  appearance  that  she  did 
in  1824.  Where  is  the  city  in  this  age 
of  improvement  except  Charleston,  that 
a  bookbinder  or  job  printer  is  prohib- 
ited the  use  of  a  small  steam  engine  to 
enable  him  to  carry  on  his  business 
with  more  facility  and  to  cheapen  the 
price  of  those  articles  that  we  are  pur- 
chasing from  other  cities  more  liberal 
to  their  artisans?  and  where  a  carpen- 
ter is  not  allowed  the  use  of  the  same 
to  turn  a  circular  saw  or  drive  a  mor- 
tising chisel  to  enable  him  to  compete 
with  others  in  supplying  us  with  ready 
made  doors,  blinds,  sashes,  shutters, 
etc?  Even  the  boxes  in  which  our  mer- 
chandise is  packed  are  made  in  the  city 
of  New  York  by  steam  power  and 
brought  to  our  very  doors.  The  book- 
binder, tanner,  currier,  hatter,  wagon- 
maker,  carriage-maker,  carpenter, 
turner,  tinner,  and  in  fact  persons  en- 
gaged in  every  branch  of  mechanism, 
find  steam  power  indispensable;  and 
knowing  as  we  do,  that  they  are  unre- 
stricted in  its  use  in  other  cities  why 
are  our  mechanics  forbid  to  use  it  in 
this  city?  There  is  a  strong  disposi- 
tion manifested  by  this  class  of  our 
citizens  to  elevate  and  improve  their 
several  trades  and  if  they  are  properly 
encouraged  there'  is  no  doubt  that  a 
great  change  would  soon  be  brought 
about:  but  the  labor  of  negroes  and 
blind  horses  can  never  supply  the  place 
of   steam    and   this    power    is    withheld 


lest  the  smoke  of  an  engine  should  dis- 
turb the  delicate  nerves  of  an  agricul- 
turist; or  the  noise  of  the  mec-hanics 
hammer  should  break  in  upon  the 
slumber  of  a  real  estate  holder,  or  im- 
porting merchant  while  he  is  indulging 
in  fanciful  dreams  or  building  on  pa- 
per the  Queen  City  of  the  South— the 
paragon  of  the  age.  No  reflections  on 
■the  members  of  the  city  council  are 
here  intended,  they  are  no  doubt  fair- 
ly representing  public  opinion  on  this 
subject;  some  of  that  body  are  known 
to  be  in  favor  of  a  modification  of  these 
restrictions,  which  certainly  are  behind 
the  age  and  a  reproach  to  our  city. 
Our  mechanics  ought  to  rise  in  their 
strength  and  procure  the  signature  of 
every  liberal  minded  man  to  a  petition 
to  the  city  authorities  asking  that  they 
may  be  placed  on  the  same  footing  in 
this  respect  as  the  tradesmen  of  other 
cities. 

These  restrictions  are  but  in  charac- 
ter with  many  other  things;  and  while 
we  are  on  this  subject  permit  me  to 
ask  whether  any  other  town  of  the 
same  size  would  have  allowed  the 
greatest  work  of  the  age — the  Hamburg 
Piailroad— to  come  into  the  city  and 
find  its  terminus  in  a  mud  hole  scarce- 
ly passable  in  the  winter  season  for  a 
family  carriage,  much  less  for  a  load- 
ed wagon.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  it 
is  a  disgrace  to  the  city  and  neck  that 
this  great  work  which  will  immortalize 
its  projectors  should  not  have  been  met 
by  a  stone  road  leading  from  it  to  our 
wharves.  That  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  bales  of  produce  and  merchan- 
dise that  have  entered  into  and  depart- 
ed from  our  city  during  the  last  thir- 
teen years  should  have  been  dragged 
through  the  sand  and  mud  of  King 
and  Meeting  streets  demonstrates  a 
fact  about  which  there  can  be  no  mis- 
take— the  hand  of  enterprise  is  not 
among  us.  And  shall  we  continue  in 
our  downward  course?  Is  it  not  time 
that  a  warning  voice  were  raised  to 
proclaim  to  the  good  people  of  Charles- 
ton that  in  these  times  of  enterprise 
no  city  need  expect  to  thrive  that  does 
not  encourage  and  foster  the  mechanic 
arts  and  artisans?  It  is  this  class  of 
men  that  gives  life,  strength  and  vigor 
to  all  branches  of  trade  and  every  de- 
partment of  life,  and  if  they  were  prop- 
erly encouraged  our  city  authorities 
would  no  longer  have  to  resort  to 
dram-shop  licenses  for  revenue;  money 
would  soon  be  found  to  pay  her  debts 
and  pave  her  streets.  Let  our  city 
council  begin  by  removing  the  restric- 
tions on  the  use  of  the  steam  engine. 
Who  would  not  rather  have  an  occa- 
sional whiff  of  smoke  from  a  steam  en- 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


217 


gjne  than  the  scent  of  an  odious  grog 
fiihop?  The  former  a  benefit,  the  latter 
a  curse  to  the  community.  So  far  as 
fii^e  risks  are  concerned,  it  would  be 
safer  to  have  three  engines  than  one 
such  magazine  of  mischief  and  cor- 
ruption licensed  by  our  city  council  un- 
der the  title  of  "retailers  of  ardent 
spirits." 

Need  anything  be  said  about  the 
amount  of  capital  required  for  embark- 
ing in  these  pursuits?  lb  is  only  nec- 
essary to  revert  to  the  fact  that  lands 
and  negroes  pay  but  3  per  cent,  when 
engaged  in  the  culture  of  cotton,  and 
to  name  the  price  of  5  and  6  per  cent. 
State  stocks.  Need  a  word  be  said  as 
to  the  men  who  are  to  carry  on  these 
enterprises?  lb  is  only  necessary  to 
point  you  to  'the  bone  and  sinew  thaf 
are  leaving  our  city  and  State  to  en- 
rich and  populate  others.  Any  one  that 
has  visited  Mississippi  and  Alabama 
can  soon  point  out  the  maelstrom  that 
has  swallowed  up  so  much  of  the  capi- 
tal and  enterprise  of  South  Carolina. 

The  period  is  fast  approaching  in 
South  Carolina  which  shall  produce  a 
great  change  in  these  matters.  Many 
persons  are  now  looking  to  the  subject 
of  manufactures  with  intense  interest, 
and  it  is  believed  that  many  men  of 
capital  would  at  once  embark  in  this 
business  could  this  field  for  profitable 
enterprise  be  laid  open  before  our 
wealthy  business  men  of  Charleston, 
a  hosb  of  whom  can  be  found  with 
nerves  that  never  tire  and  with  as 
much  forecast  and  shrewdness  as  the 
merchant  manufacturers  of  Boston, 
and  these  latter  gentlemen  see  that  it 
is  only  necessary  that  Georgia  and  the 
two  Carolinas  shall  engage  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  coarse  cotton  fabrics  in  or- 
der to  monopolize  the  trade  in  these 
articles.  What  is  to  prevent  such  a  re- 
sult? Have  we  not  the  raw  material 
on  the  spot,  thus  saving  the  freight  of 
a  double  transportation?  Is  not  labor 
cheaper  with  us  than  with  our  North- 
ern brethren?  and  if  we  believe  that 
they  are  reaping  such  golden  har^'ests 
what  shall  prevent  our  participation  in 
the  spoils?  Let  the  ball  be  set  in  mo- 
tion, then  will  our  miserably  poor  white 
population  at  once  rise  from  their  ig- 
norance and  degradation,  and  we  shall 
no  longer  hear  the  complaint  that 
planting  capital  will  pay  no  more  than 
3  per  cent.  The  commerce  and  trade 
of  our  State  w^ould  at  once  receive  a 
fresh  impulse — our  city  would  become 
a  mart  for  domestic  goods,  railroad 
stocks  would  increase  in  value,  our  city 
would  disrobe  herself  of  her  old-fash- 
ioned, rusty,  tattered  and  torn  gar- 
ments,   to   be   clad    in   the     fashionable 


clothing  of  the  day,  her  whitened  walla 
and  improved  suburbs  would  remind 
the  stranger  as  he  passed  through, 
that  the  hand  of  industry  and  enter- 
prise was  at  work  among  us.  Our  re- 
tired merchants  would  find  it  no  longer 
necessary  or  desirable  to  invest  their 
capital  or  look  for  rural  retirement  in 
other  States.  They  would  find  that  we 
have  in  our  up-country  within  a  few 
hours  ride  of  Charleston  all  the  advan- 
tages that  we  can  desire  for  such  pur- 
poses; and  besides  spending  our  money 
among  ourselves,  they  would  also  find 
that  there  is  no  better  country  for  the 
profitable  employment  of  capital  or  ru- 
ral retirement  than  in  our  own  State. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

In  New  England  there  are  two  dis- 
tinct systems  of  snanufacturimg  pur- 
sued. The  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire  establishments  are  on  an 
extensive  scale  and  are  almost  univer- 
sally owned  by  joint  stock  companies, 
composed  principally  of  the  merchants 
of  Boston.  They  are  careful  to  employ 
the  best  talents  the  country  affords,  and 
have  matters  sosystematicalliyarrang'ed 
that  (as  will  be  hereafter  shown)  there 
is  no  possibility  of  failure,  even  to  a 
joint  stock  company,  unless  the  busi- 
ness becomes  so  profitless  as  to  ruin  the 
whole  countriy.  Mills  owned,  or  under 
the  influence  of  Boston  capitalists— such 
as  those  in  Cabotville,  Chickopee,  Wal- 
tham,  Lowell,  Nashua,  Jackson,  Man- 
chester and  other  places— generally 
contain  about  6,000  spindles  each,  some 
10,000,  and  recently  others  are  being 
erected  to  contain  20,000  and  25,000. 
Each  company  has  an  agent  whose  of- 
fice is  in  Boston,  and  another  at  the 
factory;  the  latter  has  direct  charge  of 
the  mill  or  mills,  as  the  case  may  be — 
for  there  are  frequently  two,  three  and 
even  four  factories  owned  by  the  same 
company  and  in  the  same  enclosure. 
i:^ach  factorjv  has  an  overseer  for  the 
carding  department,  who,  generally 
speaking,  is  skilled  in  this  department 
only;  also  a  spinner,  a  dresser,  a  weav- 
er and  a  machinist.  These  men  have  no 
charge  except  their  pai'ticular  depart- 
ments; they  hire  their  own  hands,  (be- 
ing under  certain  restrictions),  make 
certain  repairs  and  direct  others  to  be 
made  hy  the  machinist,  and  are  respon- 
sible to  the  agent  for  the  manufacture 
at  a  given  number  mills  per  pound. 
For  instance,  every  Saturday  night  the 
agent  receives  a  report  showing  the 
number  of  pounds  of  raw  cotton  passed 
into  the  carding  room  and  the  number 
of  pounds  of  cloth  taken  from  theweav- 
iing  room— the  carder  shows  by  his  pny 


218 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


list  that  he  has  carded  the  same  for  6 
mills     per     pound— the     spinner     that 
he  has  spun  it  for  5  mills  per  pound— 
the  dresser  that  he  has  warped,  beamed 
and  dressed  it  for  three  mills  and  the 
weaver  that  it   has   been   woven   for  8 
mills,  and  baled  for  one  mill  per  pound. 
At  the  end  of  the  month  the  a&ent  at 
the  factory  makes  out  a  statement  for 
the  ag-ecit  im  Boston,  showing  the  nura- 
ber  of  hands  employed  at  the  mill,  male 
and  female,  the  average  wages  paid,  the 
number  of  pounds  of  raw  cotton  used, 
the  number  of  yards  and     pounds     of 
cloth  produced  and  forwai'deu  to  their 
commission  merchant,   and   the     eutire 
cost    of  cnanufacturing    and    delivering 
the  cloth  at  Bostom,  giving  the  items  as 
above   stated.     These   statements   from 
the  various  establishments     are     com- 
pared in  Boston;  in  fact,  the  proprietors 
clut)  together,  compile  them  and  place 
a  book  in  the  hands  of  each  agent  for 
reference,   so  that  they  are  constantliy 
apprised  of  what  others  are  doing;  and 
each  carder,  spinner  or  weaver  knows 
the  minimutn  cost  at  which     his     par- 
ticular  department    has    been     accom- 
plished.    The  general   result  proves  to 
the  company  the  fitness  of  their  agent. 
The  cheapness  with  which  any  partic- 
ular department  is  performed  is  a  test 
of  the  skill  and  industry  of  the  subal- 
tern in  charge  of  the  same.     Knowing 
the  cost  of  the  raw  material,  the  quan- 
tit<y  of  waste,  the  precise  cost  of    pro- 
ducing cloth,  and  its  worth  in  the  cnar- 
ket,  the  manufacturers     are    at     once 
placed  in  a  position  not  to  sink  money 
unless  they  choose  to  do  so  in  times  of 
great   embarrassment,   a;   a  matter  of 
charity  to  their   hands.     These  Boston 
establishments  (for  so  I  may  call  them) 
are  all  very  sicnilar.    The  dead  spindle 
for  warp,  as  well  as  for  filling,  is  uni- 
versal; and  each  factory  is  erected  for 
a  particular  purpose,  and  confined  ex- 
clusively to  it.  For  instance,  some  mills 
have   their  machineriy   adapted   to   the 
manufacture  of   Osnaburgs     and     can 
make   nothing   else,    some   are   adapted 
to,  and  are  run  exclusively  on     brown 
sheetings  87   inches   wide,    some   on    % 
sheeting,  some  on  drillings  and  others 
on  print  cloths.    They  are  run  for  years 
on  the  same  thing,  and  as  the  propri- 
etors never  think  of  changing,  the  con- 
Bequence  is  that  their     hands     having 
but  one  operation  to  perfonm  become  so 
completely  drilled   in   it   that   theiy   are 
run   at  a  speed   incredible  to   one  who 
has  never  witnessed  it. 

In  Rhode  Island  things  are  very  dif- 
ferent. Providence  is  the  centre  of  ra- 
diation for  tnanufactuiing  all  look  to 
her  as  the  mother  of  manufactures,  as 
the  seat  of  knowledge   in  this  art.     In 


this  State,  although    there    are    many 
joint  stock  companies  yet  individual  es- 
tablishments   predominate.      There  are 
many   large    establishcnents    owned   by 
persons   reared   behind     the     spinning- 
jenney,  others  owned  by  capitalists  and 
rented     to     practical     manufacturers. 
Maniy    mills    fitted    with    water    wheels 
are   built   by     persons     owning     water 
power  and  rented  to  others  owning  ma- 
chinery.    Every  pound  of  water  power 
is    alreadiy    employed,    steam    power    is 
getting  into   use,     and     manufacturing 
may  be   said   to   be     the     business     of 
Rhode   Island.     Wages   are  lower  here 
than  in  Massachusetts  and  economy  is 
cnore  generally  practiced.     They   make 
fine  goods  and  add  a  far  greater  value 
to   each    pound   of   cotton,    realizing    in 
quality,   by  skill  and  close  application 
what   the   Massachusetts   people   do   in 
quantity,    biy   their   coarse    fabrics.     In 
Rhode  Island  English  machinery  is  of- 
ten used,  the  live  spindle  for  warp  and 
the  mule  spindle  for  filling,  this  being 
doubtless   the   best   kind   of   machinery 
for  fine  goods  and  skillful   operatives; 
but  it  is  evident  that  the     Massachu- 
setts machinery  is  the  sort  that  should 
be  introduced  among  us,  and  that  the 
system  pursued  in  that  State  is  the  one 
best  adapted  to  our  habits  and  institu- 
tions.    Cotton   manufacturing  will   not 
probably  be    speedily    introdtieed    into 
this  State  unless  our  business   men   of 
capital  take  hoid  of  it.    Merchants  and 
retired  men  of  capital  imay  erect  fac- 
tories and  work  them  with  white  hands 
or  purchase  blacks  for  the  purpose.  Our 
wealthy  planters  may  engage     in     the 
business  and  turn  their  young  negroes 
in  for  workers,  but  it  will  be  long  be- 
fore  the  Southern  States  shall  have  a 
set  of  manufacturers   similar  to   those 
in   Rhode   Island;    they   must   grow   up 
among  us,  as  engine  runners  and  rail- 
road engineers  have  done. 

I  will  now  give  a  statecnent  of  the 
cost  of  manufacturing  in  Massachu- 
setts; which  being  so  nearljy  the  same 
throughout  the  whole  country,  it  will 
be  necessary  only  to  name  one  or  two 
establishments  to  form  a  correct  esti- 
mate of  the  whole;  and  it  is  proper  to 
seledt  such  as  are  making  the  kind  of 
goods  that  is  desirable  to  introduce 
into  this  State.  I  will  therefore  notice 
four  mills  in  Lowell,  belonging  to  one 
company,  and  in  the  same  enclosure, 
under  one  agent.  They  contain  each 
7,168  spindles  and  216  looms;  they  are 
constructed  to  spin  Nos.  12  and  14  (yarn, 
and  to  weave  3 (-inch  sheetings,  3  20-100 
yards  to  the  pound,  %  sheetings  4  55-100 
yards  to  the  pound  and  drilling  2  85-100 
yards  to  the  pound.  The  two  mills  en- 
gaged   In     making     37-inch     sheetings 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


219 


turned  out  for  the  six  months  ending 
30th  June  last,  say  mill  No.  2  produced 
in  the  same  time  571,869  pounds,  beimg 
1,820,776  yards.  The  othef  two  mills 
produced  similar  results.  The  cost  per 
pound  for  the  labor  of  manufacturing 
in  the  two  mills  was  as  follows: 

MILL  NO.  1. 

For  carding   6  75-100  mills 

For  spinning   7  46-100  mills 

For  dressing   4  65-100  mills 

For  weaving  and  baling.1,3  05-100  mills 

Total  cost    3,119-100  mills 

MILL  NO.   2. 

For  cardimg   6  18-100  cnills 

For  spimiiing   7  51-100  mills 

For  dressing   4-71-100  mills 

For  weaving  and  baling.  1,2  73-100  mills 

Total  cost  3,1  13-100  mills 

It  will,  by  this  statement,  be  per- 
ceived that  the  cost  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  this  article  (the  wholesale  price 
of  whicti,  at  the  present  time,  in  this 
market  is  7  cents  per  yard)  is  but  3 
cents  1  mill  and  a  fraction  per  pound. 

Let  us  now  suppose  the  operation  to 
be  performed  in  this  State.  The  raw 
material  would  cost  5  cents,  allow  10 
per  cent,  for  the  waste  and  we  have  for 
the  cost  of  the  raw  material  5  cents  5 
mills;  add  to  this  3  cents  1  mill  and  we 
have  8  cents  6  mills  as  the  entire  cost 
of  one  pound  of  cloth,  3  20-100  yards  to 
the  pound,  whicti  at  7  cents  per  yard 
gives  22  cents  4  mills  as  the  value  per 
pound  of  the  cloth  manufactured.  The 
quantity  of  cloth  turned  out  by  the  two 
mills  in  six  months  was  as  follows: 
1,133,431  pounds  at 
22     cents     4     mills 

Gives    $253,884  50 

Cost  of    raw    mate- 
rial    $61,837  71 

Cost  of  labor  in  the 

mill     35,205  81 

■        97,843  52 

Gross  profit  $156,840  98 

From  the  above  result  it  appears  that 
the  eciormous  sum  of  $156,840.98  would 
be  left  to  pay  the  outdoor  expenses  of 
two  mills  for  six  monttis,  the  balance 
being  net  profit  to  the  owners. 

In  my  calculations  showing  the  large 
gross  profits  accruing  to  the  Lowell 
companies,  It  must  not  be  supposed 
that  these  companies  are  dividing  such 
large  amounts  as  net  gains  to  their 
stockholders.  It  is  a  fact  clear  enough 
to  any  one,  that  the  difference  between 
the  cost  of  the  raw  material  and  the 
price  of  goods  manufactured  is  made 
to  the  community  in  which   the  opera- 


tion is  performed;  yet,  lest  those  dis- 
posed to  embark  tSieir  capital  in  such 
pursuits  should  be  deceived  by  the 
statement,  I  will  state  the  average 
profits  of  the  Lowell  companies  from 
the  beginning  of  their  existence  to  the 
present  time  with  this  remark  that  the 
Massachusetts  company,  from  some 
cause  or  other,  (probably  the  embar- 
rassed state  of  trade  from  the  year  1840 
to  fhe  latter  part  of  1843),  were  not  in 
haste  to  put  their  machinery  in  opera- 
tion, a  portion  of  which  was  not  worked 
until  May,  June  and  July  last,  and  some 
portion  even  as  late  as  the  middle  of 
July  had  nob  yet  been  started. 

While  speaking  of  the  net  gains  of 
the  Lowell  manufacturers  we  must  not 
be  unmindful  that  the  town  of  Lowell 
manufactures  about  66,313  bales  of  cot- 
ton, 345  pounds  to  the  bale  and  adds 
(by  simply  spinning  and  weaving) 
about  20  cents  to  the  value  of  each 
pound,  making  a  gain  to  that  place  and 
its  vicinity  of  upwards  of  $4,000,000;  a 
sum  equal  to  one-third  of  tihe  capital 
invested  in  this  branch  of  cotton  manu- 
facturing in  that  place,  and  equal  in 
value  to  the  entire  crop  of  this  Stale. 

I  will  now  exhibit  a  statement  of  an- 
other mill  in  Lowell  engaged  in  making 
Osnaburgs,  the  machinery  being  adapt- 
ed to  this  particular  article,  and  mak- 
ing nothing  else.  This  mill  contains  64 
carding  machines,  4,864  spindles  and 
152  looms.  It  is  worked  by  174  hands 
and  spins  No.  4%  yarn.  It  turned  out 
in  the  six  months  ending  30th  June  last, 
796,900  pounds  of  clolth,  two  yards  per 
pound,  making  1,598,800  yards  of  Osna- 
burgs. Tihe  cost  for  manufacturing 
which,  in  the  mill  was  as  follows: 

For  carding  3  94-100  mills 

For  spinning 4  48-100  mills 

For  dressing  3  22-100  mills 

For  weaving  8  15-100  mills 

For  baling,  etc 0  88-100  mills 


2,2  67-100  mills 
It  will  thus  be  perceived  that  the  en- 
tire cost  for  the  labor  employed  in  mak- 
ing this  article  is  2  cents  2  67-100  mills 
per  pound.  The  cofiton  that  is  worked 
into  these  goods  being  very  inferior,  is 
worth  in  this  market  not  over  4  cents 
per  pound,  therefore  tSie  value  of  the 
raw  material  for  this  establishment, 
adding  12%  per  cent,  for  waste,  say 
896.512  pounds  of  raw  cotton  at  4  cents 
being  $35,860.48-100,  and  the  cost  for 
manufacturing  the  same  at  2  cents 
2  67-100  mills  per  pound  of  cloth,  is  $17,- 
933.75-100;  while  the  market  value  oi 
the  same,  say  1,593,800  yards  at  9  cents 
per  yard  is  $143,842,  leaving  a  balance  of 
$90,047.77-100  to  pay     outdoor    expenses 


220 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


such  as  commissions,  freight,  oil,  starch, 
insurance,  interest  on  capital,  etc.  Gen- 
erally speaking,  all  expenses  after  pay- 
ing operativeis,  (interest  on  capital  in- 
cluded) are  covered  by  1/2  to  1  cent  per 
yard,  according  to  the  quantity  of  the 
clotih  turned  out.  These  are  not  mere 
speculations  but  actual  results  that  can 
be  vouched  for;  they  present  a  fact  that 
cannot  but  strike  a  cotton  planter  with 
great  force,  viz.:  that  174  hands  in 
twelve  months  convert  4,329  bales  of 
cotton,  345  pounds  to  the  bale,  into 
cloth— about  24%  bales  to  the  hand; 
thus  adding  over  $40  to  the  value  of 
eacfa  bale.  ,  ,.  , 

Statements  of  other  esbablishments 
in  Cabotville,  Fall  River,  Nashua  and 
Manchester  are  at  hand,  but  it  is  not 
necessary  to  add  them  as  the  results 
are  similar.  The  last  mentioned  place, 
Manchester,  in  New  Hampshire,  is  lo- 
cated on  the  Merrirnac  river,  at  the 
Amoskeag  Falls.  The  first  manufac- 
turing establishment  was  built  at  this 
place  in  the  year  1838  in  the  woods;  it 
now  has  Ave— the  three  Stark  mills  and 
two  belonging  to  the  Amoskeag  Com- 
pany. These  five  mills  contain  37,720 
spindles  and  1,106  looms.  Two  new  mill's 
are  being  erected,  one  to  contain  20,000 
spindles  and  600  looms  the  other  25,000 
spindles.  The  result  of  establishing 
these  factories  is  that  a  flourishing 
town  which  now  contains  7,000  inhabi- 
tants has  grown  up  in  the  woods.  It  is 
supposed  that  the  two  mills  now  erect- 
ing, together  with  those  already  in  op- 
eration, will  have  the  effect  of  doubling 
the  population  in  two  years  and  in  all 
probability  t^iis  town  in  ten  years  will 
exceed  that  of  Lowell  both  in  wealth 
and  poDulation. 

I  might  mention  many  other  places 
that  have  risen  rapidly  from  the  manu- 
facture of  coarse  cotton  fabrics,  a  busi- 
ness that  belongs  legitimately  to  us  at 
the  South.  At  the  risk  of  being  con- 
sidered tiresome,  I  will  name  one  more 
The  town  of  Newburyport,  Mass.,  was 
a  thriving  place  and  one  of  considera- 
ble trade,  but  from  various  causes  it 
declined.  Its  trade  %iad  been  absorbed 
by  Boston  and  other  places,  so  that  its 
shipping  interests  had  deserted  it  and 
its  wharves  were  desolate  and  value- 
less, town  property  had  become  worth- 
less and  everything  about  it  seemed 
going  to  ruin.  A  few  of  its  most  enter- 
prising property  holders  determined  to 
make  an  effort  to  resuscitate  it  by  es- 
tablishing manufactures,  and  having 
no  water  power  they  resorted  to  steam. 
It  acted  like  a  charm.  The  t^iree  or 
four  establishments  put  in  operation 
have  all  done  well  and  produced  a  new 


state  of  things.  The  wharves  are  now 
crowded  with  shipping,  the  sound  of 
the  hammer  is  heard  in  every  direction, 
new  houses  are  being  erected  and  old 
ones  ihave  been  remodeled,  real  estate 
has  not  only  advanced  to  its  original 
value,  hut  doubled  and  puadrupled  it; 
and  so  it  would  be  with  Charleston, 
Augusta,  Columbia  and  other  places 
at  the  South. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

I  will  now  undertake  to  show  the 
cause  of  failure  in  cotton  tspinning,  in 
t^his  State,  and  the  measures  that  must 
be  adopted  to  prevent  similar  results 
hereafter.  In  these  efforts,  I  trust  ib 
will  be  proved  that  no  fair  experiment 
or  even  an  approach  to  it,  has  yet  been 
made.  The  Saluda  and  Vaucluse  Man- 
ufacturing Companies  standing  fore- 
most, shall  be  first  noticed. 

These  companies  were  formed  in  the 
year  1833,  and  there  oan  be  no  doubt 
that  they  were  stimulated  to  action  by 
the  best  and  most  patriotic  motives; 
but,  however  praiseworthy  the  motives, 
the  result  has  been  the  cause  of  more 
harm  to  South  Carolina  than  can  be  re- 
paired for  many  years  to  come.  The 
failure  of  these  companies  is  brought 
to  the  view  of  every  one  who  turns  his 
attention  to  the  subject,  and  the  effect 
is  to  dampen  ardor  and  wither  all  such 
enterprises  in  the  bud.  These  two  es- 
tablishments stand  like  rocks  in  the 
ocean  to  warn  the  mariner  of  the  ap- 
proach of  danger;  but  it  is  hoped  that 
on  nearing  the  objects  they  will  be 
found  to  be  mere  delusions. 

The  original  proprietors  of  the  Saluda 
mill  were  a  company  formed  with  the 
expectation  of  running  10,000  spindles, 
to  make  osnaburgs,  shirtings,  drills, 
muslins,  fine  yarn,  coarse  yarn,  in  fact 
everything  that  might  be  desirable  to 
fill  the  shelves  of  a  Columbia  merchant. 
They  seemed  not  to  anticipate  the  ne- 
cessity of  looking  to  any  other  market 
for  the  sale  of  their  goods.  They  em- 
ployed a  man  wholly  ignorant  of  such 
matters,  (one  who  did  not  even  know 
the  difference  between  a  throstle  and 
mule  spindle),  to  lay  out  the  establish- 
ment and  get  up  the  machinery,  which 
was  made  by  Mr.  Alfred  Jinks,  of 
Bridesburg,  near  Philadelphia.  It  is 
fine  machinery,  but  better  adapted  for 
making  muslins  than  osnaburgs.  This 
machinery  is  so  arranged  as  to  render 
it  impracticable  to  adapt  it  to  the  Mas- 
sachusetts system,  and  carmot,  without 
many  alterations  and  additions,  be  made 
to  turn  off,  with  a  given  number  of 
Hands,  more  than  one-third  the  quanti- 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


221 


ty  stated  as  the  product  of  the  Lowell 
mills— certainly  not  more  than  one-half 
with  the  very  best  management.  T^he 
different  gentlemen  who  have  been  in- 
terested in  this  establishment  have  at- 
tributed its  want  of  success  to  the  bad 
management  of  agents;  but  the  secret 
lies  beyond  the  reach  of  overseers  and 
until  many  dollars  are  expended  in  new, 
or  in  altering  the  present  macSiinery — ' 
and  a  new  system  both  as  to  the  pro- 
duction and  sale  of  their  goods,  is 
•adopted — they  may  not  expect  to  real- 
ize profit. 

Now,  in  the  outset,  if  this  company 
(composed  of  gentlemen  of  sufficient  in- 
telligence to  carry  on  any  enterprise), 
had  gone  to  Boston  for  advice  they 
would  have  been  warned  against  the 
course  they  pursued,  as  being  one  t^at 
must  inevitably  lead  to  failure.  Tliey 
would  have  been  advised  to  undertake 
the  making  of  but  one  article,  either 
osnaburgs  or  coarse  sheeting;  'to  get  all 
their  machinery  of  the  same  description 
adapted  to  the  particular  article  they 
proposed  making;  to  nail  their  colors 
to  the  mast,  taking  it  for  better  or  for 
worse;  to  hire  a  carder,  spinner,  dresser, 
weaver,  and  an  active  and  skillful 
young  man  as  an  overseer — taking  the 
best  talents  that  Massachusetts  could 
afford.  These  men  get  from  $1.50  'to  $2 
per  day  and  by  adding  25  or  50  cents 
more  they  would  have  offered  induce- 
ments that  would  have  commanded  the 
very  best.  They  should  tiave  employed 
a  merchant  in  Columbia  to  purchase 
their  cotton  and  receive  their  goods 
who.  after  supplying  the  Columbia 
market  should  have  shipped  the  bal- 
ance to  Cftiarleston  where  there  should 
have  been  one  agent.  The  merchant  at 
Columbia  should  have  been  made  to 
clear  his  shelves  of  all  similar  goods 
and  not  to  offer  them  for  sale  in  broken 
packages — to  sell  in  Columbia  quanti- 
ties not  less  than  five  bales  at  the 
Charleston  prices — to  keep  a  set  of  books 
and  make  monthly  exhibits  to  the 
stockholders,  showing  the  number  of 
pounds  of  cotton  sent  to  the  mill  and 
the  number  of  yards  and  pounds  of 
cloth  returned.  Had  this  system  been 
pursued,  it  would  have  been  only  neces- 
sary to  keep  up  a  correspondence  with 
the  Lowell  and  other  companies,  re- 
ceiving monthly  statements  to  be  com- 
pared with  their  own  in  order  to  know 
at  all  times  whether  the  mill  was  turn- 
ing out  its  proper  quantity.  Every 
member  of  the  company  -n-ould  soon 
have  become  so  well  acquainted  with 
factory  details  as  to  enable  him  to  judge 
what  quantity  of  cloth  a  given  number 
of  spindles  ought  to  turn  out  and  the 


proof  would,  at  all  times  be  at  hand, 
whether  the  agent  was  doing  his  duty 
or  not.  There  would  then  have  been  no 
chance  for  leaks.  The  books  of  the  Co- 
lumbia agent  would  have  shown  wheth- 
er a  sufficient  number  of  pounds  cloth 
had  been  returned  for  a  given  quantity 
of  cotton,  after  making  a  reasonable 
allowance  for  waste.  The  Charleston 
agent  should  have  had  entire  control 
of  prices.  If  a  discreet  merchant  he 
would  not  have  allowed  the  goods  to  ac- 
cumulate, nor  would  he  by  forced  salea 
have  brought  an  undue  pressure  on 
this  market;  the  prices  in  which  do  not 
now,  but  should  always  range  up  to  the 
New  York  market.  It  should  have  been 
this  merchant's  province  to  find  mar- 
kets for  the  goods  in  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore,  New  Orleans,  Mo- 
bile and  other  places. 

Now,  had  all  this  been  done,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  result.  This 
company  instead  of  wasting  its  capital 
would  have  made  immense  sums  of 
money,  and  in  all  human  probability, 
their  success  would  have  brought  into 
existence  by  this  time,  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  Columbia  ten  such  estab- 
lishments as  those  described  in  Lowell 
and  leaving  out  of  view  the  profits 
which  would  have  accrued  to  the  own- 
ers, (for  it  matters  not  whether  they  be 
gainers  or  not),  the  difference  between 
the  cost  of  raw  material  and  the  sum 
received  for  the  sale  of  the  manufac- 
tured article,  would  have  been  a  clear 
gain  to  the  people  of  Columbia  and  its 
neighborhood.  The  difference  between 
the  value  of  the  raw  material  here  and 
of  the  goods  produced  by  the  three  mills 
spoken  of  in  Lowell  for  the  six  months 
ending  30th  June  last,  would  be  $294,064 
or  $596,128  per  annum.  Ten  such  mills 
producing  similar  results  would  yield  to 
the  community  in  which  they  were  lo- 
cated the  sum  of  $1,897,093.  This  would 
have  doubled  the  population  of  Colum- 
bia. Many  an  enterprise  never  dreamed 
of  before  would  have  had  its  birth  and 
been  matured  by  this  time  within  her 
limits.  Artisans  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  would  have  found  their  way  to 
this  delightful  spot  and  her  suburbs 
would  now  be  ringing  with  the  busy 
hum  of  work  shops,  while  her  streets 
would  now  show  the  marks  of  an  in- 
creased trade  and  she  would  not  only 
be  the  capital  but  the  pride  of  our  State. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  give  a  history 
of  the  Vaucluse  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  of  its  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment, erected  in  the  year  1833.  This 
company  was  no  doubt  stimulated  to 
action  by  the  disposition  that  pervaded 
this   State  about  that  time  for     manu- 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


facturing,  taring^ing  into  existence  the 
Marlboro,  De  Kalb,  SaludQ,  and  two  or 
tliree  smaller  mills,  and  it  is  truly  un- 
fortunate for  this  State  that  such  mis- 
takes should  have  been  made. 

Gen.  McDufRe  and  our  worthy  fellow- 
citizen,  the  Hon.  Mitchel  King,  were 
two  of  the  principal  stockholders  in  the 
Vaucluse  Company.  One  would  sup- 
pose that  such  men,  engaging  in  a  new 
enterprise,  would  have  given  'the  sub- 
ject some  sort  of  investig>ation.  The 
position  that  these  gentlemen  occupy  in 
the  State,  as  to  fortune  and  other  things, 
is  a  proof  of  their  ability  and  eminent 
success  in  such  enterprises  as  have  en- 
gaged their  attention;  but  unfortunate- 
ly for  them,  in  this  instance,  they  only 
look  across  the  waters  at  the  promised 
land — they  fitted  out  their  bark  for  the 
voiyage  but  went  to  sleep  at  the  helm. 

This  company  obtained  a  charter 
from  the  Legislature  and  organized 
themselves  by  electing  a  president  and 
five  directors.  They  wrote  to  Paterson, 
N.  J.,  for  machinery  suited  to  the  man- 
ufacture of  cotton  and  wool,  fine  and 
coarse  cloth,  assorted  j^arns,  etc.,  thus 
as  will  be  perceived,  splitting  on  the 
same  rock  which  wrecked  the  Saluda 
Company.  They  committed  the  same 
error  of  not  looking  beyond  the  supply 
of  the  immediate  neighborhood  and  so 
complicated  their  machinery  as  to  ren- 
der it  impossible  for  it  to  produce  profit, 
except  by  the  nicest  and  most  skillful 
management.  The  present  proprietors 
of  this  establishment  have  sold  the 
woolen  machinery  and  are  remodeling 
the  balance,  but  it  will  have  to  receive 
many  additions  in  new  machinery  be- 
fore it  will  be  capable,  with  the  best 
management,  of  turning  out  the  quan- 
tity, per  hand,  that  't»ie  Massachusetts 
mills  do. 

•  The  strangest  parb  of  the  story  re- 
mains yet  to  be  told.  As  above  stated, 
this  company  elected  a  president  and 
five  directors  to  manage  their  affairs. 
This  board  ordered  the  machinery  to  be 
made  and  sent  out;  appointed  an  agent 
to  superintend  the  erection  of  a  suita- 
ble building  for  it  and  houses  for  the 
operatives.  Will  the  fact  be  credited 
that  this  board  of  directors  never  had 
a  meeting  after  its  first  organization, 
not  even  to  receive  the  building  from 
the  contractor's  hands?  The  factory 
ran  thus  neglected  by  those  appointed 
to  look  after  its  affairs,  for  two  years 
and  six  months  and  is  it  surprising  that 
instead  of  making  money,  they  should 
have  incurred  a  debt  of  $6,000?  Fortu- 
nately for  the  company  an  individual 
undertook  to  purchase  some  of  the 
shares,  and  after  possessing  himself  of 


a  number  sufficient  to  excite  some  inter- 
est he  looked  into  matters  and  found 
the  mill  in  charge  of  an  ignorant  En- 
glishman who  received  $5  per  day.  He 
knew  nothing  of  the  business  and  as 
was  afterwards  proved,  had  never  be- 
fore had  charge,  even  of  a  single  de- 
partment in  a  mill.  He  was,  in  fact, 
only  a  common  operative  with  neither 
truth  nor  honesty  in  him.  This  gentle- 
man immediately  determined  to  ap- 
prize the  company  of  their  real  condi- 
tion. It  was  with  the  greatest  diflicul- 
ty  that  a  sufficient  number  of  the  stock- 
holders could  be  brought  together  to 
form  a  quorum  in  order  that  measures 
of  relief  might  be  taken;  and  but  for 
the  debt  of  $6,000,  which  was  about  to 
go  into  judgment,  it  is  very  question- 
able whether  a  meeting  could  have  been 
obtained.  The  result  of  this  meeting 
was  that  the  property  was  offered  for 
sale.  The  gentleman  alluded  to  above 
who  had  purchased  into  the  company 
took  up  his  abode  at  the  factory  as  a 
summer  residence,  discharged  the  En- 
glishman overseer  and  took  charge  of 
the  establishment  in  person,  made  the 
factory  turn  out  double  its  former  pro- 
duct, purchased  the  cotton  and  other 
supplies,  sold  the  goods,  etc.,  and  in 
eight  months  previous  to  the  sale  made 
a  net  sum  for  the  owners  of  about  $11,- 
000.  This  paid  the  debt  and  left  a  sur- 
plus of  $5,000  and  but  for  this  circum- 
stance the  establishment  would  have 
sold  for  a  mere  song.  The  shares,  fifty- 
four  and  a  half  in  number,  cost  origi- 
nally $1,000  each.  The  sale  produced 
about  $750  per  share.  So  ended  the 
Vaucluse  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
it  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  the  stock- 
holders did  not  sink  their  entire  capi- 
tal. 

This  company  was  followed  by  an  in- 
dividual owner,  x\-ho  it  is  said  realized 
profit;  but  his  affairs  were  so  compli- 
cated and  embarrassed  that  the  mill  re- 
ceived but  little  of  his  attention  and 
being  one  of  the  kind,  as  before  stated, 
which  requires  the  strictest  attention  it 
corld  not  be  expected  to  flourish.  Its 
F;ze  forbids  its  being  brought  under  the 
same  system  and  producing  similar  re- 
sults as  the  Massachusetts  mills,  and 
however  profitable  it  may  be  to  its  pres- 
ent owners  it  can  never  be  considered 
a  fair  test  of  what  cotton  manufactur- 
ing will  be  when  properly  introducecj  in 
this  State. 

Xow.  when  we  take  all  things  into 
consideration  it  is  really  a  matter  of 
surprise  that  we  have  not  long  since 
made  cottoh  manufacturing  one  of  our 
leading  occupations.  When  the  Boston 
merchants  embarked  in  it  they  were  as 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


223 


ig-norant  of  it  as  we  now  are,  while  the 
Rfriode  Island  people  were  eminently- 
skilled  in  it;  but  this  did  not  deter  the 
former,  when  driven  from  their  favor- 
ite occupation  from  engaging  in  it. 
These  gentlemen,  not  unlike  our  mer- 
chants and  capitalists,  and  very  simi- 
lar to  our  intelligent  cotton  planters, 
embarked  immediately  in  manufactures 
which  have  indeed  yielded  them  golden 
harvests.  They  are  not  the  men  to  take 
off  fheir  gloves  and  perform  manual 
manipulations,  but  they  look  on  with 
hands  in  their  pockets,  precisely  as  a 
cotton  planter  would  do,  and  depend  on 
the  skill  of  an  intelligent  overseer  to 
produce  good  practical  results.  It  cer- 
tainly has  not  been  their  economy  that 
has  caused  them  to  amass  great  wealth. 
Their  agents  at  the  mills  or  overseers, 
as  we  would  call  fhem,  reside  in  fine 
houses  and  wear  silk  g'loves.  Their  sit- 
uations are  similar  to  those  of  our  bank 
presidents  in  Charleston;  they  have 
fine  offices  and  clerks  to  attend  to  their 
book-keeping;  and  let  me  here  iniform 
you  that  in  the  ten  corporations  in 
Lowell  not  one  of  the  agents  is  a  prac- 
tical manufacturer,  that  is,  a  man 
brought  up  behind  the  spinning-  ma- 
chine. Six  out  of  the  ten  are  lawyers; 
they  are,  however,  shrewd  business 
men  who  look  well  to  hiring-  good  sub- 
alterns and  see  that  the  results  of  the 
factory  show  that  t^hey  not  only  under- 
stand but  perform  their  business.  They 
pay  immense  sums  for  water  power.  It 
would  seem  that  economy  was  no  part 
of  the  system  of  Boston  manufacturers, 
for  go  where  you  may  you  will  find 
that  they  have  indulged  their  fancy,  by 
lajnng  out  immense  sums  of  money  in 
the  erection  of  elegant  and  ornamental 
edifices  for  t4ieir  machinery  and  in  ar- 
ranging their  g-rounds.  They  have  act. 
ually  built  palaces  for  their  overseers; 
and  the  boarding  houses  for  the  accom- 
modation of  their  operatives  are  what 
we  in  Charleston  would  call  fine  houses, 
not  inferior  in  quality  and  appearance 
to  the  best  buildings  in  tfte  newly  built 
portions  of  our  city.  I  do  not  certainly 
exagg-erate  when  I  say  that  the  most 
indifferent  overseer's  house  in  Lowell, 
at  least  such  as  I  saw,  cost  more  than 
the  whole  village  of  Vaucluse,  contain- 
ing upwards  of  200  inhabitants  includ- 
ing a  comfortable  dwelling  recently 
built  as  a  residence  for  one  of  its  own- 
ers; and  more  money  than  all  thetiouses 
which  serve  to  accommodate  the  oper- 
atives of  the  Saluda  factory. 

Not  one-fourth  of  the  large  capital 
represented  in  the  table  is  invested  in 
machinery.  A  large  portion  has  been 
expended  in  the  purcase  of  water  power 
and  in  erecting  expensive    edifices    for 


their  machinery,  and  houses  for  their 
overseers  and  operatives.  I  am  certain- 
ly not  much  wide  of  the  mark  in  stat- 
ing that  the  houses  belong-ing  to  one  of 
these  companies  and  used  by  their 
agents  and  operatives  are  quite  as  ele- 
gant—fully as  costly,  and  afford  a3 
much  room  as  all  the  buildings  on  both 
sides  of  King  street,  between  Market 
and  Hasel  streets;  and  it  must  be  re- 
marked that,  much  to  their  credit,  they 
have  made  large  contributions  to  the 
building  of  churcihes  and  the  endow- 
ment of  other  public  institutions. 

When  we  view  all  these  facts,  and 
recollect  that  we  have  water  power  in 
any  quantity  in  healthy  portions  CKf  our 
State  wihich  can  be  purchased  for  a  tri- 
fle, that  we  have  the  cheapest  country 
on  the  face  of  the  globe  to  live  in,  (for 
provisions  are  as  cheap  in  South  Caro- 
lina as  in  Prussia,  the  cheapest  portion 
of  Europe,)  adding  to  this  our  mild  cli- 
mate, making  it  even  cheaper  to  live 
ihere  than  in  Prussia,  that  the  raw  ma- 
terial can  be  had  from  1  to  1%  centa 
cheaper  in  the  interior  of  this  State 
than  in  the  manufacturing  towns  of  the 
North,  and  that  we  possess  the  cheapest 
steadiest  and  most  easily  controlled  la- 
bor to  be  found  in  the  United  States; 
what,  let  me  ask,  is  to  prevent  our  suc- 
cess? In  addition  to  all  these  facts, 
when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the  Bos- 
ton manufacturers  pay  their  operatives 
$3.79  per  week,  (this  is  the  averag-e 
wag-es  paid  in  Lowell  which  governs  all 
the  other  places  in  Massachusetts)  and 
that  while  paying-  these  hig-h  wag-ea 
they  convert  cotton  into  cloth  at  a  cost 
of  from  2%  to  3  cents  per  pound,  turn- 
ing out  in  coarse  fabrics  24%  bales  to 
the  hand  (there  is  no  fiction  about  this,) 
and  it  would  seem  that  our  conclusions 
must  be  irresistible.  In  my  next  chap- 
ter I  shall  consider  the  subject  of  the 
manufacturing  of  cotton  bagging  as  a 
part  of  the  system  of  domestic  industry 
in   South  Carolina. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

I  will  now  make  a  few  remarks  on  the 
manufacture  of  bagging,  which  seems 
to  be  the  first  article  that  strikes  the 
mind  of  a  Southern  man  when  he  tuma 
his  attention  to  the  subject  of  manufac- 
turing. All  seem  to  think  that  it  would 
be  a  very  lucrative  business  and  one 
that  should  engage  the  attention  of 
Southern  men.  The  question  is  every 
day  asked,  why  are  not  our  Southern 
factories  making  this  article?  In  it 
there  can  be  no  mistake.  The  cheap- 
ness of  the  raw  material  is  a  complete 


224 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


protection  against  foreign  competition, 
and  this  togethe'-  witti  our  ciieap  lalDor 
will  be  a  fortress  of  defence  to  us,  while 
we  continue  to  make  the  coarse  fabrics 
t§iat  require  no  finish  and  but  libtle 
skill  in  theSr  manufacture;  especially  if 
we  follow  the  rule  already  laid  down,  of 
sticking  to  one  thing  at  a  time.  He 
■who  manufactures  an  axe  handle,  even 
if  he  employ  fifty  men  in  the  operation, 
(should  'the  world  afford  him  a  market 
large  enough,)  will,  by  sticking  to  this 
one  thing,  attain  suc'h  perfection  in  the 
shape  and  speed  in  the  manufacture  <as 
to  obtain  a  remunerating  price  in  every 
country  where  the  commodity  is  used. 
We  mus't  manufacture  such  articles  as 
require  a  large  quantity  of  good,  sound 
raw  material,  about  which  there  can  be 
no  decep'tlon  practiced. 

We  need  not  expect  in  the  outset  of 
manuifacturinig  to  compete  v-lth  the 
Northern  people  in  s^hapes  and  colors. 
We  frequently  hear  complaints  from 
Southern  manufacturers  engaged  in 
making  woolens  that  they  cannot  sell 
their  honestly  made  Linseys  in  compe- 
tition with  the  trash  that  is  brought  out 
here  and  sold  under  tfte  name  of  Ker- 
seys and  Linseys;  the  warp  of  which  is 
composed  of  the  most  inferior  co'tton 
thread  and  the  filling  of  greasy  cotton 
waste,  being  from  its  short  staple  and 
dirt,  wholly  unfit  for  anything  else. 
This  is  dyed  and  mixed  with  refuse 
wool,  such  as  clot^  shearings,  etc.,  and 
'there  is  bub  little  doubt  that  in  many 
instances  the  wool  does  not  constitute 
1-20  of  the  fabric.  As  an  evidence  of 
our  gullibility  many  persons  among  us 
are  simple  enough  to  do  their  negroes 
the  injustice  of  clothing  them  in  this 
trash,  while  i't  would  be  far  ctheaper  for 
the  owner  -and  better  for  the  slave  to 
have  a  good  sound  article  made  entirely 
of  cotton.  The  frauds  which  are  con- 
tinually practiced  upon  us  should  teach 
us  a  lesson,  warning  us  to  encourage  a 
system  which  shall  render  us  independ- 
ent of  foreigners  for  sucti  articles.  If 
we  have  nob  the  men  now  among  us 
who  can  work  mixtures,  shapes  and  col- 
ors, they  will  soon  make  their  appear- 
ance when  we  shall  have  get  fairly 
started  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton; 
and  when  manufacturing  capital  be- 
comes popular  for  investments  in  South 
Carolina,  t^iis  class  of  men  will  be  found 
emigrating  to  our  State. 

Heretofore  cotton  has  been  so  costly 
a  staple  that  its  price  forbade  the  idea 
of  its  taking  the  place  of  hemp  in  the 
manufacture  of  bagging;  consequently 
there  never  yet  has  been  any  machinery 
made  with  the  express  intention  of 
m.anufacturing  it;  recently,  however,  it 
has  become  a  subject  of  great  interesb 


and  Sias  elicited  much  attention  in  Low- 
ell and  the  other  manufacturing  towns 
at  the  North.  Our  Northern  friends 
would  probably  engage  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  this  article  but  for  the  fact  that 
the  Southern  States  have  turned  their 
attention  to  ftie  making  of  coarse  cotton 
fabrics  and  they,  being  fully  aware  of 
our  advantages,  well  know  that  the 
first  attempt  on  our  part  would  sup- 
plant them  in  this  article,  as  we  have 
done  in  that  of  Osnaburgs.  For,  be  it 
remembered,  that  deflcienb  as  our 
Southern  factories  are  in  the  essentials 
for  successful  competition,  they  have 
notwithstanding,  long  since  driven  out 
of  tihis  market  the  article  of  Nor'thern 
Osnaburgs.  I  think  I  may  venture  the 
assertion,  that  there  has  not  been  a  bale 
of  such  goods  imported  into  Charleston 
from  the  North,  for  the  last  two  years; 
and  were  it  not  that  we  are  so  deficient 
in  en.tei*prise  it  would  be  just  as  ab- 
surd for  the  people  of  the  North  to  un- 
dertake this  species  of  manufacture  as 
it  would  be  to  import  hemp  to  compete 
with  Kentucky  and  other  places  in  the 
manufacture   of  bagging. 

The  facility  with  which  cotton  can  be 
worked  by  machinery  makes  it  much 
easier  to  ihandle  than  hemp,  and  it  will 
certainly  cost  much  less  to  manufac- 
ture it.  It  has  already  been  shown  that 
cotton  cloth,  weighing  half  a  pound  to 
the  yard,  is  manufactured  for  2%  cents 
per  pound,  and  there  is  no  doubt  in  the 
mind  of  the  writer  that  bagging  weigh- 
ing from  1%  to  2  pounds  per  yard  could 
be  made  witSihalf  the  labor  and  expense, 
that  is,  for  1  cent  por  pound;  and  that 
upwards  of  44  bales  to  the  hand  might 
be  converted  into  bagging  per  annum. 
The  machinery  requisite  for  this  species 
of  manufacture  is  of  the  simplest  kind, 
and  certainly  susceptible  of  being 
worked  by  negroes.  The  manufacture 
of  Kentucky  bagging  is  performed  by 
negro  hand  labor,  no  machinery  having 
ever  been  successfully  applied  to  it. 
T^e  carding  machine  now  in  use  in  cot- 
ton factories  would  answer  for  the  first 
part  of  the  process  of  making  cotton 
bagging.  The  looms,  which  should  be 
wider,  would  not  differ  much  in  other 
respects  fro'm  the  ordinary  Osnaburgs 
looms  and  should  turn  out,  if  well  man- 
aged, from  100  to  125  yards  each  per 
day. 

Having  no  knowledge  of  the  cost  of 
producing  hemp  bagging  in  otSier  coun- 
tries, I  shall  confine  my  remarks  to  our 
immediate  competitor,  Kentucky.  Hemp 
is  an  article  that  has  fiuctua'ted  in  price 
almost  as  much  as  cotton — ^the  range 
being  from  $3  to  $11  per  cwt.  It  kept 
pretty  steadily,  however,  for  many  years 
previous  to  1840,  at  an     average  of    $5, 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


225 


since  then  ab  $4.  The  manufacture  of  it 
into  bagrging  is,  as  before  stated,  per- 
formed by  hand,  and  although  great  im- 
piovements  have  been  made  in.  t^^e 
mode  of  handling  it,  yet  it  is  still  a  tedi- 
ous operation,  requiring  on  an  average 
5  hands  to  each  loom — three  men  and 
two  boys.  The  hackling,  etc.,  being 
heavy  work,  requires  able-bodied,  active 
men.  In  well  managed  factories  the 
hands  are  so  tasked  as  to  produce,  in 
the  summer  season  400  yards  per  week 
to  the  loom,  and  in  the  winter  season 
300  yards.  I  am  now  speaking  of  tihe 
best  managed  establishments  at  this 
time.  It  is  not  lo'ng  since  when  12% 
•cents  was  considered  the  worth  of  man- 
ufacturing a  yard  of  hemp  bagging,  it 
is  now  reduced  to  5  cents. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  compare  the 
cost  of  cotton  with  hemp  and  g^ive  the 
arguments  for  and  against  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton  bagging.  It  is  believed 
that  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  the 
cotton  article  weigSi  2  pounds  to  the 
yard;  but  to  make  the  comparison  more 
easily  understood,  we  will  suppose  them 
both  to  weigh  1%  pounds  to  the  yard. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  cotton  is 
purchased  by  the  net  100  pounds,  while 
hemp  is  bought  by  the  gross  112  pounds, 
the  12  pounds  being  sufficient  to  cover 
the  waste  in  manufacturing;  so  that  for 
each  pound  and  three  quarters  of  raw 
hemp  we  have  one  yard  of  bagging, 
which  after  adding  5  cents  for  the  labor 
of  manufacture  costs  12  cents.  Now 
for  the  cotton  article;  and  bear  in  mind 
that  the  cheaper  the  raw  material  the 
more  waste  t^ere  is,  and  that  coarse 
goods  cause  more  waste  than  fine  ones. 
Let  us  suppt)se  the  cotton  to  cost  4% 
-cents,  to  which  add  the  loss  in  manu- 
facture, (say  15  per  cent.)  and  we  shall 
have  for  the  cost  of  the  raw  material 
in  a  yard  of  bagging  weighing  1% 
pounds  8  cents  5.50-100  mills,  or  $8.55  for 
each  hundred  yards;  add  to  this  2  cents 
— t%ie  cost  of  manufacturing,  and  we 
have  a  yard  of  bagging  costing  10  cents 
5.50-100  mills  to  the  manufacturer.  Ad- 
mitting hemp  and  cotton  to  be  of  equal 
value  and  allowing  the  Kentucky  manu- 
facturer to  realize  2  cents  per  yard  as 
his  profit,  it  will  be  perceived  that  the 
hemp  article  comes  Into  the  hands  of 
'the  wholesale  merchant  at  14  cents; 
t*ius  g-iving  to  the  manufacturer  of  the 
cotton  article  a  profit  of  3.45-100  cents 
per  yard.  T'his  would  answer  very  well 
if  things  remained  just  as  they  now-  are, 
but  we  must  take  into  consideration  the 
adverse  changes  that  may  take  place. 
"We  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  the  cot- 
ton Worked  into  bagging  must  undergo 
the  same  preparation  that  it  does  for 
■  other  kinds  of  cloth,  and  that  only  one 


step  beyond  spinning  it  into  bagging 
yarn  we  have  it  into  thread — a  mer- 
chantable ai^ti'Cle  in  all  parts  of  the 
world — fit  for  making  any  kind  of  clo'th 
and  which  has  never  sold  in  this  coun- 
try for  less  than  13l^  cents  per  pound, 
then  considerably  below  the  prices  quot- 
ed in  Manchester.  If  we  double  the 
amount  and  cost  of  labor  we  put  the 
raw  material  into  a  fabric  that  is  con- 
sumed by  the  whole  human  family,  the 
the  demand  being  of  such  extent  as  to 
have  no  limit.  While  we  feel  ijerfectly 
secure  from  competition  in  the  cheap- 
ness of  the  raw  material  in  manufac- 
turing cotton  bagging  le't  us  not  be 
unmindful  of  other  circumstances, 
which,  although  they  cannot  be  brought 
to  bear  against  other  branches  of  cot- 
ton manufacturing,  may  prove  ruinous 
in  this. 

The  first  is,  that  an  advance  of  2 
cents  per  pound  in  cotton,  wuithout  a 
proportionate  rise  in  bagging,  would 
take  from  the  manufacturer  his  whole 
profit.  The  second  is  quite  as  formida- 
ble. I  mean  the  competition  of  Ken- 
tucky, where  the  improvements  in  cul- 
tivation would  enable  them  to  raise 
hemp  at  3  cents  per  pound,  which 
would  pay  as  well  as  cotton  at  6  cents. 
Moreover,  it  is  'the  opinion  ot  those  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  hemp  bag- 
ging, that  before  they  w^ould  give  up 
the  business  the  cost  of  manufacture 
would  be  reduced  to  3  cents  per  yard, 
so  that  the  bagging  may  be  furnished 
to  the  manufacturer  at  8%  cents  per 
yard.  Nor  is  this  all.  When  we  con- 
sider the  limited  quantity  of  bagging 
required  for  the  supply  of  the  United 
States,  we  may  justly  have  apprehen- 
sions of  danger  from  competition  among 
ourselves.  Taking  the  crop  of  this 
country  at  2,500,000  bales,  and  allowing 
5  yards  of  oloth  for  each  bale,  it  would 
require  but  12,500,000  yards  per  annum 
to  supply  the  whole  United  States,  and 
this  number  of  yards  does  not  equal  the 
production  of  several  of  the  manufac- 
turing companies  in  Massachusetts. 
There  are  two  establishments  in  Lowell 
that  turn  out,  each,  upwards  of  13,000,- 
000  yards  of  cloth  per  annum.  The  es- 
tablishment alluded  to  in  a  former  chap- 
ter having  four  mills  in  one  enclosure, 
judging  from  the  product  from  January 
to  July  and  taking  cotton  at  its  value 
here,  would  yield  a  gross  profit  of  $624,- 
184,  on  an  expenditure  for  raw  material 
and  labor  of  $391,374,  while  the  gross 
profit  on  all  the  bagging  used  in  the 
United  States  at  3.45-100  cents  per  yard 
is  only  $431,250,  involving  an  expendi- 
ture of  $887,500  in  labor  and  the  purchase 
of  raw  material. 


226 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

I  will  now  undertake  to  discuss  the 
merits  of  another  branch  of  cotton 
manufacturing,  that  of  spinning  yarn 
for  exportation.  But  before  entering 
on  this  subject,  I  will  notice  two  very 
common  errors  entertained  among  us, 
which  will  prove  fatal  if  not  removed. 
The  first  is  that  cotton  manufacturing 
is  so  complicated  in  its  details  and  re- 
quires such  nice  management  to  keep 
it  in  order,  the  delicate  amd  complicated 
machinery'  that  none  need  expect  to 
succeed  in  it  who  have  not  ser\-ed  a 
regular  apprenticeship  at  the  business. 
The  other  is,  that  the  improvements 
constantly  making  in  machinery  ren- 
der it  necessary  to  lay  aside  old,  and 
purchase  new,  in  order  to  keep  up  with 
the  age. 

TVith  regard  to  the  firs't,  (the  idea  of 
there  being  great  difficulty  in  the  man- 
agement of  a  manufacturing  establish- 
ment,) I  will  merely  say  that  it  arises 
from  drawing  a  comparison  between 
it,  and  the  mechanical  trades,  all  of 
which  require  skillful  workmen  to  man- 
age them  with  advantage;  but  the  op- 
erations of  a  cotton  factory  differ  al- 
most as  widely  from  those  of  a  carpen- 
ter's shop  or  any  other  mechanical 
trade,  as  from  a  cotton  plantation.  We 
might,  with  the  same  propriety,  dis- 
trust our  capacity  to  operate  steam  en- 
gines; they  are  verj^  complicated  ma- 
chines, yet  when  fed  with  fuel  and  wa- 
ter we  find  them  doing  their  duty  and 
without  much  mechanical  labor.  So 
with  the  power  printing  press  and  a 
thousand  other  machines  that  might  be 
named.  The  printing  press  is  also  a 
complicated  machine,  yet,  we  find  it 
operating  well  without  the  aid  of  the 
machinist  who  made  it.  The  same  re- 
marks apply  equally  to  a  cotton  fac- 
torj-.  The  overseer  of  the  carding  de- 
partment should  be  skilled  in  his 
branch  of  the  business,  and  understand 
thoroughly  how  to  keep  the  machinery 
of  a  carding  room  in  order.  So  w-ith 
the  ovei  seers  of  the  s-pinning  and 
weaving  departments.  Each,  if  he  un- 
derstands his  business,  will  be  able  to 
keep  the  machinery  of  his  department 
in  working  order,  it  being  necessary 
to  have  a  regular  machinist  only  to  do 
large  repairs,  such  as  would  cause  the 
overseer  to  be  absent  himself  from  the 
immediate  supervision  of  his  depart- 
ment. The  common  operatives  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  keeping  of  the 
machinery  in  order,  but  simply  with 
the  handling  of  the  cotton  as  it  passes  ' 
through  the  mill;  and  the  secret  of  sue-  j 
cess  in  a  cotton  factory     is  just     that  I 


which  is  necessary  for  the  success  of 
any  other  enterprise.  If  planting  re- 
quire the  skilful  direction  of  labor  so 
is  it  with  a  coDton  factory.  If  in  mer- 
chandizing, economy  in  all  depart- 
ments of  the  business  and  an  observ- 
ant eye  as  to  the  results,  be  requisite 
to  success,  so  will  it  be  with  the  marl**- 
facturer.  He  who  engages  in  manu- 
facturing must  not  expect,  to  lead  a  life 
of  idleness,  it  is  not  without  its  cares, 
and  is  subjected  to  the  mishaps  and 
ups  and  downs  that  attend  any  other 
department  of  business  in  life.  The 
labors  are,  however,  entirely  mental 
and  just  such  as  are  required  to  give 
healthful  and  pleasant  employment  to 
a  retired  merchant.  The  man  who  has 
devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  life  to 
mercantile  pursuits  is  generally,  from 
his  habits,  unfitted  for  literary  pleas- 
ures: still  his  habits  are  so  active  as  to 
forbid  his  living  in  Idleness.  The  su- 
pervision of  a  well  regulated  manufac- 
turing establishment  is  above  all  other 
employments,  the  best  adapted  to  such, 
a  man.  While  it  serves  to  keep  him 
from  being  locked  up  in  stocks.  He 
continues  the  manager  of  the  foritune 
he  has  accumulated  by  his  industry 
and  good  management,  and  becomes 
a  valuable  producer  to  his  country; 
when  he  would  otherwise  be  induced  to 
follow  the  popular  error  of  placing  his 
money  under  the  control  of  corporate 
institutions  managed  by  men  who  fre- 
quently have  no  pecuniary  interest  in 
them,  and  who  being,  often  bad  man- 
agers of  their  own  affairs  volunteer  in 
the  service  of  lending  other  people's 
money. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  notice  the 
second  error  alluded  to  above,  viz.: 
that  the  improvements  in  machinery 
are  so  frequent  as  to  require  old  to  be 
constantly  replaced  with  new  machin- 
ery. There  never  was  a  greater  mis- 
take than  this  and  in  proof  of  it  I  will 
only  refer  you  to  Boston  manufactories. 
The  same  machinery  that  was  put  in 
operation  from  1S22  to  1828  is  still  at 
work  and  competing  successfully  with 
that  made  recently.  Nearly  all  the 
useful  improvements  have  been  such 
as  could  be  applied  to  the  old  machin- 
ery, and  the  applicatoin  is  usually  made 
by  the  regular  machinist  em'ployed 
about  the  establishment.  The  parts 
which  wear  rapidly  are  not  material 
and  are  easily  replaced;  such  as  card 
clothing,  and  a  few  of  the  journals 
having  a  very  rapid  motion.  The  live 
spindle  wears  out  in  from  ten  to  twen- 
ty years.  A  machine  with  130  spindles, 
which  cost  $700,  may  be  repaired  and 
refitted   with   new  spindles     for     about 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTTIY. 


227 


$125,  when  it  will  be  about  as  good  as 
a  new  one. 

We  will  now  take  up  the  subject  an- 
nounced at  the  opening  of  the  chapter. 
The  spinning  of  cotton  yarn  is,  beyond 
doubt,  a  busiiness  thait  might  be  under- 
taken by  us  with  a  prospect  of  eminent 
success.  All  Che  complication  in  man- 
ufactuiing  takes  place  after  the  yarn  is 
spun.  The  preparation  for  and  weav- 
ing into  merchantable  cloth  involves 
more  than  half  of  the  labor  and  ex- 
pense of  manufacturing  and  by  far  the 
most  skill  and  atletntion.  A  given  num- 
ber of  hands  will  turn  off  double  the 
quan'tity  of  yarn  that  could  be  turned 
into  cloth  by  the  s'ame.  But  two  over- 
seers are  required,  a  carder  and  a  spin- 
ner. And  there  is  no  good  reason,  why 
the  name  of  some  of  our  large  planters 
should  not  be  seen  oei  bales  of  yarn, 
making  their  way  to  Europe  to  supply 
the  markets  that  are  now  monopolized 
by  the  English  spinners.  England  has 
for  years  been  sending  millions  of  dol- 
lars worth  of  this  article  to  the  conti- 
nent. Simce  1832  she  has  exported  to 
that  part  of  the  world  from  sixteen  to 
twenty-five  miillions  of  dollars  worth 
per  annum.  And  what  is  to  prevent  us 
in  Carolina,  from  setting  up  a  claim  to 
a  portion  of  this  trade?  Are  we  afraid 
of  Northern  competition  in  this  the 
simplest  of  all  kinds  of  manufacture? 
The  South  has  never  failed  to  suipplant 
the  North  in  this  branch  of  manufac- 
tures whenever  the  attempt  has  ueen 
made.  Previous  to  1833  there  were 
many  cotton  factories  about  Philadel- 
phia and  throughout  the  North  eng'aged 
in  making  cotton  yarn  to  supply  the 
hand  and  power  loom  weavers;  but 
since  the  erection  of  mills  at  Peters- 
burg, Va.,  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  and  in 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  the  result 
has  been  to  drive  most  of  these  North- 
ern spinners  to  weaving.  The  commis- 
sion merchants  of  Philadelphia  and 
New  York  engaged  in  the  yarn  trade 
will  tell  you  tihat  the  South  has  taken 
complete  possession  of  the  market. 
The  home  trade  in  this  article  may 
now  be  said  to  be  ours.  Are  we  afraid 
of  coming  in  competition  with  English 
labor?  Notwithstanding  what  has  been 
said  about  direct  trade  and  getting 
goods  cheaper  from  England  it  is  the 
dearest  labor  in  the  world.  The  Conti- 
nental powers  of  Europe  have  learned 
this  fact  and  are  making  every  possi- 
ble effort  to  perform  the  operation  of 
cotton  spinning  for  themselves, which 
they  would  not  think  of  doing,  if  they 
could  be  supplied  from  a  country  that 
could  afford  it  as  cheaply  as  ours. 

The  average  pay  of     factory     opera- 


tives in  England  is,  according  to  Dt. 
Ure's  statistics  of  cotton  manufactures 
in  Great  Briitain,  $2.50  per  week.  Mc- 
Cullooh  puts  it  at  £22  10s.  per  annum. 
It  cannot  be  reduced  below  this  sum, 
as  this  is  barely  sufficient  with  the 
great  majority  of  them  to  maintain 
existence.  Manufacturing  establish- 
ments are  taxed  so  highly  by  tihe  Brit- 
ish government  that  it  amounts  to  up- 
wards of  fifty  per  cent,  on  the  price  of 
the  mianufacturing  labor  of  the  North- 
ern States,  and  more  than  one  hundred 
per  cent,  on  the  value  of  labor  in  our 
own  State.  Many  establishments  pay 
directly  and  indirectly  to  the  British 
government  20,  40,  60,  and  even  $80,000 
per  annum,  in  the  shape  of  taxes.  Let 
us  not  deceive  ourselves  with  the  idea 
that  goods  must  be  cheap  because  they 
are  made  in  a  country  in  which  labor 
is  so  cheap  as  barely  to  sustain  life; 
but  let  us  bear  in  mind  that  everythLng 
w'hich  enters  into  the  support  of  an 
English  operative  is  so  highly  taxed 
that  the  sum  wihich  is  required  to  af- 
ford him  a  scanty  subsistence  is  double 
that  which  would  make  him  comfort- 
able in  Carolina.  Let  us  remember  that 
the  article  which  is  produced  by  the 
English  six  penny  labor  is  taxed  a  shil- 
ling for  the  support  of  an  extravagant 
government.  To  illustrate  this  point 
I  will  quote  the  language  of  Mr.  Kirk- 
ham  Finlay,  an  English  gentleman  of 
great  authority  in  these  matters,  who, 
in  his  report  on  commerce,  manufac- 
tures, etc.,  says:  "I  think  the  differ- 
ence would  be  this,  that  if  the  amounts 
of  wages  paid  in  Great  Britain,  was  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  the  comfortable 
subsistence  of  the  workmen,  it  would 
be  quite  clear  that  whatever  pressure 
there  might  'be  those  wages  could  be 
pernranently  reduced;  but  if  the  mooiey 
wages  paid  in  America  are  sufficient  to 
get  a  great  deal  more  than  the  abso- 
lute ne'Cessaries  and  comforts  of  life, 
then,  if  there  is  a  pressure  upon  its 
manufacturers  they  can  so  reduce  the 
wages  as  to  meet  that  difficulty,  and  by 
that  means  undersell  the  manufactur- 
ers here."  The  enormous  taxes  levied 
on  all  branches  of  business,  but  more 
particularly  on  cotton  spinning,  are 
the  duty  on  the  raw  material — on  flour 
for  sizing,  on  oil,  on  the  glass  which 
admits  the  light,  on  postage,  checks, 
receipts,  promissory  notes  and  adver- 
tisements— on  the  money  which  is  bor- 
rowed or  paid,  on  the  transfer  of  any 
property  purchased  or  sold  and  on  the 
policies  of  insurance.  This  last  item  of 
tax  on  the  cotton  manufactures  of 
England  amounts  alone  to  about  $360,- 
000  per  annum. 


228 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


"The  heavy  cloths  in  which  the  com- 
petition of  America  has  been  principal- 
ly felt,  are  woven  with  coarse  j^arns 
from  Xos.  10  to  20.  It  appears  from  the 
schedule  of  the  prices  of  spinning  in 
the  factories  of  the  United  States,  com- 
pared with  the  prices  paid  for  the 
same  work  in  Glasgow,  annexed  to  Mr. 
Kirkham  Pinlay's  letter,  to  Lord  Ash- 
ley in  1833,  that  the  prices  of  spinning 
these  numbers  of  yarn  were  for  a  given 
quantity  4s.  in  the  United  States  and 
4.S.  lid.  m  Glasgow,  being  22  per  cent., 
in  favor  of  America.  The  prices  of  card- 
ing the  same  numbers  were  in  the 
United  States  6s  7%d.  per  week  and  in 
Glasgow  7s.  l^/id.  per  week,  being  7 
per  cent,  in  favor  of  America. 

"In  the  operation  of  dressing  the  warp 
of  heavy  goods,  the  American  has  an 
advantage  of  50  per  cent,  in  price  and 
in  weaving  of  25  per  cent.,  being  upon 
the  two  taken  together,  an  advantage 
of  36  per  cent.  The  total  charges  for 
dressing  and  weaving  are: 

In  England,  per  piece Is.     2^4(5. 

In  America,   per  piece    10%d. 

or  36  per  cent,  of  the  charges  per  piece 
in  favor  of  the  United  States." — Dr. 
Ures'  Treatise  on  the  Cotton  Manufac- 
tures of  Great  Britain. 

As  we  begin  to  have  some  practical 
experience  in  manufacturing  at  the 
South,  we  can  now  see  what  an  absurd- 
ity it  would  be  for  us  to  pack  up  our 
cotton  and  send  it  to  England  to  be 
returned  as  osnaburgs,  taxed  from  $60 
to  $80  per  bale  as  was  the  case  former- 
ly; when  the  same  can  be  converted 
into  cloth,  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood of  the  place  in  which  it  grew,  for 
one-fourth  of  the  sum.  It  is  equally  as 
absurd  in  us  to  send  our  raw  cotton  to 
Europe  to  be  spun  into  yarn — adding 
$40  to  $50  to  the  value  of  a  bale  which 
yields  the  planter  of  the  interior  after 
paying  the  expense  of  transp^Drtation 
from  $12  to  $15  only;  thus  paying  in  a 
double  transportation  government 
taxes  and  foreign  labor,  four  times  the 
amount  that  it  would  cost  to  do  the 
same  thing  by  the  labor  of  our  own  ne- 
groes. T\^hen  these  facts  are  presented 
to  our  view  can  we  have  the  face  to 
complain  that  capital  employed  in  di- 
recting the  labor  of  our  State  will  not 
pay  more  than  3  per  cent?  Where  shall 
we  find  as  cheap  labor  as  that  which 
we  have  at  our  command?  I  may  safe- 
ly assert  it  is  the  cheapest  in  the  world. 
T\"hich  of  the  two  is  the  cheaper,  free 
or  slave  labor,  is  a  question  not  yet  de- 
cided by  manufacturers  at  the  South. 
All  concur  that  there  is  no  difference 
as   to   capability;    the   only  question   is 


whether  hired  labor  is  not  cheaper 
than  slave  labor?  There  is  no  difficulty 
with  a  Carolinian  in  deciding  what 
slave  labor  is  worth;  and  as  a  proof  of 
the  difference  between  white  labor  here 
and  at  the  North,  we  refer  you  to  the 
pay  list  of  a  factory  in  Lowell  and  one 
in  South  Carolina,  with  the  explana- 
tion that  the  hands  in  the  Lowell  mill 
are  more  efficient  than  those  in  the 
South  Carolina  factory,  no  operatives 
being  employed  in  the  former  under  15 
years  of  age.  The  weavers  and  over- 
seers are  omibted  in  both  lists.  The 
former  being  paid  by  the  job,  earn 
about  as  much  here  as  in  Lowell;  and 
each  family  have  one  or  two  of  this 
class  who  earn  from  $3  to  $3.50  per 
week,  making  together  a  sum  that  af- 
fords them  such  living  as  they  have  not 
previously  been  accustomed  to.  Tlie 
overseers  in  both  factories  receive  simi- 
lar wages.  All  the  hands  in  the  Caro- 
lina factory  receiving  16  cents  and  up- 
wards per  day  are  efficient  ones;  and 
the  girls  receiving  20  and  26  cents  per 
day,  would  do  themselves  credit  along- 
side of  the  Lowell  spinners. 


CHAPTER  X. 

There  is  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  la- 
bor at  the  prices  set  forth  In  the  pay 
liet  referred  to  in  annexed  tables,  but 
it  is  not  desiralble  that  such  a  state  of 
things  should  continue.  Let  manufac- 
tures be  once  introduced  among  us  and 
the  condition  of  this  class  of  persons 
will  soon  become  more  elevated  when 
they  will  require  higher  wagea  The 
cheapness  of  living,  mildness  of  climate 
and  other  circumstances  so  much  in  our 
favor,  render  75  cents  here  more  than 
equal  to  $1  in  New  Elngland.  In  the  in- 
terior of  this  State  we  can  put  up  a 
comfortable  frame  and  weatherboard- 
ed  house,  spacious  enough  to  aceommo- 
dale  a  large  family  for  $140.  Fire  wood 
is  furnished  at  $1  per  cord  and  other 
necessaries  may  be  had  at  proportion- 
ate rates.  Compare  this  state  of  things 
with  that  of  any  other  country.  Look 
at  the  wages  of  England  and  consider 
that  her  operatives  are  but  scantily  fed, 
and  are  without  fuel  sufficient  to  keep 
them  comfortable  in  cold  weather; 
while  ours,  with  their  low  wages  have 
all  the  actual  necessaries  that  render 
a  human  being  comfortable.  Consider 
the  fact  that  in  addition  to  the  innu- 
merable and  oppressive  taxes  levied  on 
the  English  spinner,  he  is  subjected  to 
a  tax  on  the  raw  material  of  5-16  of  a 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


229 


penny,  half  the  amount  required  here, 
to  convert  it  into  yarn.  In  connection 
with  these  facts  is  it  necessary  to  re- 
mind you  that  we  have  a  larg'e  class  of 
miserable  poor  white  people  among  U'S, 
without  any  employment  to  render 
them  producers  to  the  State;  who,  If 
too  lazy  to  work  themselves  mig-ht  be 
induced  to  place  their  children  in  a 
situation  in  vfhich  they  would  be  edu- 
cated and  reared  in  industrious  habits. 
"When  we  consider  the  deplorable  fadt 
that  there  are  20,600  white  people  in  this 
State  over  the  age  of  20  years  who  can 
neither  read  nor  write  and  that  no 
measures  are  taken  by  us  to  elevate 
their  condition,  we  musit  oome  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  is  something  radi- 
cally wrong  in  South  Carolina.  If  we 
have  proved  that  there  is  a  field  for  the 
profitable  investment  of  capital  in  the 
employment  of  these  people,  then  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  there  is  a  vast 
opening  for  philanthropic  operations  on 
the  part  of  thoste  who  possess  the 
wealth  of  our  State;  indeed,  this  iis  a 
field  for  the  exercise  of  the  labors  of 
every  Christian  in  the  land.  Let  us  see 
those  that  are  commendably  and  zeal- 
ously engaged  in  the  missionary  cause 
look  to  it  that  they  are  not  sending  aid 
to  countries  in  a  much  better  condition, 
in  this  respect  than  our  own.  If  we 
have  20,600  over  the  age  of  20  years  out 
of  112,000,  we  of  cours'e  may  add  8,800 
out  of  the  47,855  between  the  ages  of  12 
and  20,  making  in  all  29,400  persons  in 
South  Carolina  over  the  age  of  12  years 
who  cannot  read  the  Bible — a  number 
equal  to  the  entire  population  of 
Charleston.  These  are  facts  that  ought 
to  awaken  the  sympathies  of  every 
educated  son  and  daughter  of  our  State. 
They  are  worthy  the  serious  considera- 
tion of  our  politicians  who  flatter  them- 
selves that  our  State  is  the  paragon  of 
perfection — a  bright  star,  shedding  light 
on  the  whole  Union — w^hoae  politicians 
are  capable  of  giving  lessons  in  politi- 
cal economy  to  the  whole  world.  It 
would  be  well  for  this  distinguished 
class  of  persons  to  give  this  subject  a 
thorough  investigation  and  see  whether 
so  large  a  portion  of  our  people  could 
not  be  so  employed  as  to  alleviate  some 
of  the  burdens  complained  of  in  South 
Carolina. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  this  class  of  per- 
sons, and,  we  may  safely  add  as  many 
more  as  will  make  the  number  fifty 
thousand  over  the  age  of  12  years,  are 
non-producers  to  our  State,  purely  be- 
cause they  are  neglected  by  those  pos- 
sessing tho  capital  of  our  country. 
Labor  is  capital,  and  when  directed 
with  the  energy  and  judiciously  diver- 


sified it  fixes  population  and  creates  a 
kind  of  wealth  which  the  spirit  of  emi- 
gration ca«inot  remove' — which  is  not 
transferable — and  which  leaves  an  in- 
delible impress  that  time  alone  can  ef- 
face. Allow  tha;t  two-thirds  of  this  fif- 
ty thousand  among  which  we  include 
the  aged  and  decrepit,  be  required  to 
raise  provisions,  make  clothing,  cook, 
wash,  etc.,  for  the  balance,  and  we  shall 
have  left  16,666  persons  whose  labor,  if 
as  well  directed  as  that  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts mills  at  Lowell  would  turn  into 
cloth  a  quantity  of  raw  material  equal 
to  5,152  pounds  to  the  hand  per  annum 
and  a  gross  amount  of  248,878  bales  of 
345  pounds  each,  fully  as  much  as  is 
supposed  to  constitute  the  entire  crop 
of  South  Carolina;  and  if  we  content 
ourselves  with  making  no  finer  cloths 
than  are  woven  from  No.  14  yarn  we 
will  add  an  average  value  to  our  staple 
of  at  least  15  cents  per  pound  or  $12,- 
879,480.80.  But  we  will  be  satisfied  to 
estimate  the  capacity  of  our  operatives 
as  being  only  half  that  of  the  Lowell 
operatives;  and  in  that  case  ours  would 
only  be  able  to  spin  this  quantity  of 
cotton  into  yam,  thus  adding  toi  the 
value  of  each  pound  of  cotton  according 
to  the  present  rates  of  prices  in  this 
State,  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  lO' 
cents  or  $8,586,323.20. 

In  the  town  of  LoTvell  there  are 
about  6,500  persons  employed  in  spin- 
n'ing  and  weaving  cotton  cloth,  one  fac- 
tory making  osnaburgs  of  4%  yam,  the 
balance  running  on  drillings,  sheetings, 
shirtings,  and  printing  cloths,  from 
yarn  of  14  to  40.  They  consumed  in  the 
year  1843  22,880,000  pounds  of  cotton  or 
66,316  bales  of  345  pounds  each.  The 
Massachusetts  mills,  four  in  number, 
employed  885  hands  and  turned  out  13,- 
520,000  yards  or  4,560,000  pounds  of  cloth 
about  15  bales  to  the  hand.  These  mills 
contain  27,008  spindles.  At  the  same 
ratio  of  production  it  would  require 
508,554  spindles  to  turn  the  crop  of 
South  Carolina  into  yarn;  this  machin- 
ery for  spinning  only  would  cost  about 
$7.50  per  spindle  or  $3,814,155.  The  looms 
and  apparatus  for  weaving  the  same 
would  cost  about  $3.50  per  spindle  or 
$1,779,939;  making  the  entire  cost  of  ma- 
chinery necessary  to  spin  and  weave 
248,878  bales  of  cotton  $5,594,084.  AU 
other  expenses,  such  as  buildings,  etc., 
would  be  the  product  of  our  domestic 
materials  and  labor;  indeed  much  of 
the  former  would  also  be  the  product 
of  our  labor.  Each  mill  of  5,000  spin- 
dles would  require  about  80,000  pounds 
of  castings,  shaftings,  etc.,  all  of  which 
might  be  made  in  our  own  State,  and 
of  our  own  materials. 


230 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


If  the  poor  white  people  of  our  State 
are  not  enough  of  themselves  to  make 
up  a  sufficietic  number  to  turn  our  cot- 
ton crop  into  cloth,  it  certainly  would 
not  make  such  draughts  upon  the  agri- 
cultural population  as  to  be  felt,  espe- 
cially as  women  and  children  principal- 
ly would  be  required. 

Althougn  we  may  not  expect  so  great 
a  change  in  our  industrtal  pursuits  for 
many  years,  ya^t  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  every  step  towards  its  consumma- 
tion will  improve  our  condition.  Inde- 
pendent of  the  fact  that  we  should  be 
supplying  ourselves  with  all  the  coarser 
cotton  fabrics,  we  should  be  enhancing 
'the  value  of  our  cotton  crop  three  and 
four  fold;  and  this  is  not  the  most  im- 
portant aspect  of  the  subject;  this 
change  could  not  operate  othermse 
than  to  produce  a  highly  improved 
state  of  agriculture;  to  bring  around 
us  all  other  branches  of  mechainism — 
to  develop  among  us  numbei'less 
sources  of  wealth — and  to  cut  off  the 
immense  drains  that  are  now  impover- 
ishing us.  An  advance  in  the  price  of 
our  great  staple,  situated  as  w'e  are, 
only  serves  to  widen  the  avenues 
through  which  our  wealth  leaves  us; 
indeed,  it  may  truly  be  said  that  the 
richer  we  grow  the  poorer  we  are;  as  an 
increase  of  imcome  only  begets  a  cor- 
respondent extravagance  in  expendi- 
ture. 

What  would  be  the  result  of  cotton's 
rising  to  and  remaining  for  five  years 
at  15  cents  per  pound  and  then  return- 
ing to  presemt  prices?  Any  one  at  all 
conversant  with  our  past  history  would 
say  that  we  should  find  ourselves  in  a 
far  worse  condition  than  at  present 
with  our  soil  still  further  exhausted 
with  no  permanent  improvements  and 
all  involved  in  debt.  Indeed  such  a  pe- 
riod of  prosperity  would  only  be  brought 
to  mind  by  the  remembrance  of  the  fol- 
lies we  had  indulged  In  and  the  debts 
we  had  contracted  in  anticipation  of  a 
continuance  of  high  prices. 

The  idea  of  our  traversing  the  world 
to  employ  the  steam  power  and  poor 
people  of  other  countries  to  do  that 
which  could  be  easily  effected  by  our 
abundamt  and  now  worthless  water 
power  and  poor  people  is  superlatively 
ridiculous  and  if  followed  out  cannot 
end  in  anything  but  povarty  and  de- 
pendance. 

"Agriculture,  to  flourish,  must  have 
a  market  for  it-s  surplus  productions. 
And  what  is  a  marke:t?  Does  that 
magic  word  reside  in  any  place?  Most 
people  seem  to  think  so.  A  market  is 
everywhere.  It  is  people,  not  a  place 
—people  not  engaged  in  agriculture  but 


employed  in  the  production  of  some- 
thing which  supplies  a  human  want. 
And  the  nearer  it  is  found  to  the  farm- 
er's door  the  better,  the  less  of  his  pro- 
ductions are  spent  in  getting  them  to 
market.  Agriculture  can  flourish  then 
only  where  there  is  a  large  population 
engaged  in  manufactures  and  com- 
merce. 

"Hence  the  second  source  of  national 
wealth  is  manufacturing  industry.     No 
nation  ever  became  wealthy  by  raising 
the  raw  material  and  then  exchanging 
ii  for  the   manufactured     article.     The 
manufacturing  people  always  have  the 
advantage.     They   may    work  day   and 
night,  summer  and  winter,  in  fair  and 
stormy  weather.     An  agricultural  pop- 
ulation work  only  in  the  day  time,  when 
the  earth  is  free  from  frosts  and  when 
the  clouds  are  not  disburdening  them- 
selves upon  the  earth.     A  manufactur- 
ing population  can  avail  themselves  to 
any   extent   of  the  aid     of     machinery. 
The  fall  of  water  in  the  town  of  Lowell 
is  made  to  do  the  work  of  a  million  hu- 
man  beings.     Everything     the     farmer 
raises  must  be  brought  out  of  the  earth 
by  main     force,  bj^     hand     work.     The 
farmer's  productions  are  bulky  and  are 
often  almost  consumed  in  getting  them 
to   market.     The   manufactured   article 
is  usually  comparatively  light     in  pro- 
portion to  its  value.    The  farmer,  more- 
over, is  obliged  to  take  the  chances  of 
unpropitious  seasons  and  occasionally  a 
short  crop.    But  no  variation  of  the  sea- 
sons  has  ever  been   known    to   produce 
a  snort  crop  of  boots  and  shoes,  and  no 
drought  has  ever  been  so   gr&sit  as   to 
blight   the  labors    of  the     loom.     With 
these  advantages  a  manufacturing  peo- 
ple will  alwaj-s  contrive  to  keep  an  ag- 
ricultural people  in  debt.     Towns     and 
cities   will  spring  up  among  them  and 
the  very  flact  of  a  condensed     popula- 
tion giives  them  great  advantages.     An 
exclusively   agricultural    people   in   the 
present   age   of   the   world   will   always 
be   poor.     They    want    a   home   market. 
They  want  that  enterprise  and  acti\i- 
ty     which     is    engendered     merely     by 
bringing  masses  of  people  to  act  upon 
each  other  by  mutual  stimulation  and 
excitement.     Why     Is  the     balance     of 
trade  continually  in  favor  of  the  North? 
Because  our  labor  is  not  sufficiently  di- 
versified, because  the  raw  material  goes 
from  this  very  city  to  the  North   to  be 
manufactured  and   then  comes  back  to 
be  worn  by  our  citizens  while  we  have 
among    us   thousands     and     thousands 
who  might  work  it  up,  but  who  are  ly- 
ing here  idle,   and  many  of  them  sup- 
porfled  by    public     charity!" — Southern 
Quarterly  Review,  vol.  ill.  p.  362. 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


231 


Suppose  the  protective  system  to  be 
wholly  abandoned  by  the  country,  how 
will  the  change  affect  our  condition  as 
a  State?  Will  it  bring  back  the  rich 
treasures  that  have  left  us?  Will  it 
bring  back  the  enterprising  citizems 
that  have  removed  from  our  State  to 
settle  in  others?  Will  it  be  the  means 
of  resuscitating  our  worn  out  soil? 
Shall  not  the  sound  still  continue  to  be 
rung  in  our  ears,  of  ten  bales  to  the 
hand  in  Mississippi  and  three  in  Caro- 
lina? So  long  as  we  make  the  culture 
of  cotton  our  chief  employment  will  not 
the  same  oauses  continue  to  exist  that 
are  now  depopulating  our  State?  Yes, 
they  will  and  until  we  make  a  radioal 
change  m  our  pursuits  our  wealthy  and 
enterprising  citizens  will  continue  to 
leave  us.  Let  us  then  set  about  produc- 
ing this  change.  Let  us  endeavor  to 
bring  about  such  a  state  of  things  as 
shall  invite  the  industry,  if  not  capital 
of  other  countries  to  our  State.  Let  us 
try  to  cultivate  a  good  feelimg  among 
our  people  for  our  Northern  brethren. 
We  have  no  lack  of  trading  men  from 
among  this  class  of  persons.  Let  us  of- 
fer inducements  that  shall  bring  their 
working  men  to  our  delightful  climate; 
they  will  soon  replace  the  capital  that 
has  left  our  State.  They  will  teach  our 
children  lessons  of  industry  amd  econo- 
my. They  will  furnish  materials  for  the 
academic  schools,  recommended  by  our 
Governor.  They  will  teach  us  the  value 
of  thousands  of  acres  of  swamp  land 
in  South  Carolina,  yet  covered  with 
their  primeval  forest  trees.  They  will 
teach  us  lessons  in  agriculture  that 
shall  prove  to  us  that  the  money  ex- 
pended for  an  agricultural  survey  has 
not  been  spent  in  vain;  and  above  all, 
they  will  give  some  of  our  wise  men 
practical  lessons  in  political  economy. 
Such  a  change  would  revive  the  trade 
of  our  city  and  bring  about  a  new  and 
flourishing  state  of  things  in  South 
Carolina. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

I  trust  that  enough  has  been  said  on 
the  subject  of  cotton  manufactures  to 
prove  the  practicability  of  engaging 
in  them  in  South  Carolina  in  competi- 
tion with  any  other  country.  To  the 
thinking  part  of  the  community  it  Is 
hoped  arguments  are  not  now  necessary 
to  show  the  necessity  of  changing  our 
industrial  pursuits  in  order  to  close  up 
the  flood  gates  that  are  draining  our 
State  of  its  enterprising  planters  and 
negro  population  to  people  the  West 
and  sweeping  off  millions  of  mercantile 


capital  to  build  manufacturing  towns 
at  the  North.  Yes,  to  build  up  tOT\-ns; 
for  Charleston  has  done  her  part  In  this 
work.  It  is  said,  and  we  believe  with 
truth,  that  the  town  of  Bridgeport,  in 
Connecticut,  one  of  the  most  thriving 
manufacturing  towns  in  that  State,  has 
been  built  by  the  capital  of  Charles- 
ton. The  majority  of  its  largest  manu- 
facturing establishments  have  been 
put  in  operation  by  capital  accumulat- 
ed in  this  city  and  we  are  daily  adding 
to  its  wealth  and  population  by  the 
purchase  of  thousands  of  dollars  worth 
of  carriages,  harness,  saddlery  and 
other  articles.  Indeed  we  may  truly 
say  that  the  manufacturers  of  Charles- 
ton have  their  work  shops  in  Bridge- 
port, whose  streets  are  paved  with  the 
money  that  should  be  spent  in  this  city, 
and  in  which  the  palace  of  the  manu- 
facturer will  be  erected  when  he  re- 
tires from  business. 

Before  bringing  my  subject  to  a  close 
I  will  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  policy 
to  be  pursued  by  those  who  may  en- 
gage in  manufactures  on  the  use  of 
steam  power  and  on  the  cost  of  the  ma- 
chinery necessary  for  manufacturing 
cotton.  To  such  as  are  disposed  to  en- 
gage in  this  branch  of  busiiness,  the 
caution  cannot  be  too  often  repeated 
to  guard  against  two  errors  which,  so 
far  as  I  am  informed,  have  been  the 
only  obstacle  to  a  realization  of  proflb 
from  such  investments  at  the  South. 
So  well  convinced  am  I  of  this  fact 
that  whenever  I  hear  of  a  failure  to  pro- 
duce profit  in  any  enterprise  of  this 
sort  I  can,  -n-ithout  enquiry,  safely  pre- 
dict that  it  has  resulted  from  one  of 
these  causes. 

The  first  is  complication— undertak- 
ing to  do  too  much.  Persons  commenc- 
ing this  business  at  the  south  either 
forget  are  not  aware  of  the  fact  that 
manufacturers  are  essentially  whole- 
sale dealers.  They  generally  set  ou: 
with  a  notion  that  to  run  a  mill  of  2.000 
spindles  on  one  thing  would  soon  over 
stock  the  market:  and  by  undertaking 
to  fit  out  factories  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  avoid  this,  they  commit  a  fatal  er- 
ror. I  often  bring  to  mind  a  conversa- 
tion which  I  once  had  with  a  very  in- 
telligent old  gentleman  who  o't^med  an 
interest  in  a  small  factory  of  1.200  spin- 
dles. I  will  relate  a  part  of  it  in  order 
to  exemplify  the  notions  that  prevail 
among  us  on  this  subject.  In  speaking 
of  the  advantage  which  South  Carolina 
possessed  in  water  power,  he  remarked, 
"that  near  his  factorj-  there  was  one  of 
the  finest  mill  seats  in  the  State,  but  if 
a  cotton  mill  should  be  erected  on  it  it 
would  ruin  the  one  in  which  he  had  an 


232 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTI^T. 


interest."  This  gentleman  did  not 
seem  to  be  aware  of  the  fact  that  a  mill 
erected  in  Massachusetts  was  as  much 
a  competitor  with  his  as  if  it  were 
alongside  of  it  and  that  any  disadvan- 
tage from  competitioei  was  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  advantage 
gained  from  communion.  The  owners 
of  this  little  mill,  at  the  time  spoken 
of,  were  endeavoring  bo  force  their 
goods  off  in  the  village  in  which  it  was 
located;  this  market  was  of  course 
overstocked  to  the  great  embarrass- 
ment of  this  manufacturing  company. 
After  many  hard  struggles  to  avoid 
such  an  alternative,  they  were  at  length 
induced  to  send  a  few  bales  of  their 
goods  to  the  Charleston  market  not 
likely  to  be  depressed  by  all  the  cloth 
that  South  Carolina  may  send  to  it  for 
many  years  to  come. 

Those  who  efmbark  in  this  business 
should  look  entirely  to  a  wholesale 
market.  The  idea  of  having  an  agent 
in  every  country  village  is  ridiculous. 
Aside  from  the  embarrassment  and 
perplexity  of  having  their  goods  scat- 
tered over  the  whole  country,  the 
agencies  necessary  for  making  different 
kinds  of  goods  are  wholly  at  war  with 
any  system  which  may  be  adopted 
w-ith  regard  to  quantity.  The  stoppage 
necessary  for  changing  machinery  will 
destroy  all  system  among  the  opera- 
tives and  render  it  impossible,  with  the 
very  best  management  to  turn  off  any- 
thing like  the  quantity  which  might  be 
produced  by  working  at  one  thing  only; 
and  the  loss  in  such  cases  would  not  be 
compensated  by  the  difference  between 
w"holesale  and  retail  prices.  The  sale 
of  the  manufacturer's  goods  belongs 
rightfully  to  the  commission  merchant. 
He  has  no  business  peddling  off  his 
yarn  and  cloth  at  retail— let  him  leave 
that  to  small  manufacturers  or  any  per- 
son who  desires  to  engage  in  such  petty 
business.  His  goods  should  be  forward- 
ed precisely  as  a  planter's  cotton  is,  to 
a  mercantile  agent  to  make  the  best 
disposition  of  them  that  a  shipping 
market  will  afford,  they  should  be  sold 
as  they  are  made. 

In  making  a  selection  of  the  kind  of 
goods  to  be  manufactured,  care  should 
be  taken  not  to  fix  on  an  article  with 
which  the  market  is  easily  overstocked. 
The  article  osnaburgs  is  one  of  limited 
demand.  South  Carolina  and  Georgia 
are  now  over-supplied  from  our  facto- 
ries, which  send  a  surplus  to  Xew  York 
and  Xew  Orleans.  Two  large  establish- 
ments added  to  those  which  we  now 
possess  would  monopolize  the  trade — 
make  a  supply  suffident  for  the  whole 
country— and  force  the  Xorthem  man- 


ufacturer to  abandon  the  article.  There 
are  other  articles  equally  as  profitable 
which  we  can  sell,  such  as  cloths,  made 
from  Xo.  12  to  16  yarn,  drills  and  mus- 
lins, weighing  from  3  to  5  yards  to  the 
pound.  Sheeting  from  36  inches  to  1% 
yards  wide,  shirtings  from  26  to  36 
inches  wide.  These  articles  consume  a 
large  portion  of  all  the  cotton  produced 
by  the  world;  and  if  the  little  factory 
alluded  to  above  as  well  as  all  the  fac- 
tories in  South  Carolina  (whose  ma- 
chinery is  well  adapted  to  such  goods 
and  not  to  osnaburgs),  were  running  on 
shirtings,  sheetings  or  drills  and  had 
this  village  or  any  other  town,  even  the 
city  of  Charleston,  machinery  enough 
to  turn  out  100,000  yards  per  day  it 
would  scarcely  be  felt  in  the  market  of 
the  world. 

"UTien  South  Carolina  once  sets  about 
manufacturing  the  wholesale  merchants 
of  Charleston  will  soon  learn  the  way 
of  doing  business  after  the  manner  of 
those  in  Baltimore,  Philadelphia  and 
Xew  York  in  purchasing  large  quanti- 
ties of  these  brown  goods  to  be  con- 
verted into  colored  muslins,  bleached 
cloths  of  calico  prints,  this  branch  of 
business  being  now  carried  on  very  ex- 
tensively and  as  a  distinct  one  from  the 
other  branches  of  manufacturing.  For 
instance  a  merchant  of  Xew  York  will 
purchase  100  bales  of  the  sleaziest  goods 
in  the  market  and  send  them  to  Provi- 
dence where  they  are  dyed  of  various 
colors  assorted  as  to  finish  and  stamped 
with  any  particular  mark  he  may  choose 
to  designate.  Cambrics  %  wide  are  col- 
ored and  finished  for  1%  cents  per  yard, 
4-4  wide  for  2  cents  and  silesias  for 
about  the  same  price.  The  same  mer- 
chant sends  a  quantity  of  brown  shirt- 
ings or  sheetings  and  has  them  bleached 
and  finished  in  various  styles  making 
fom  the  same  bale  of  cloth  three  or  four 
kinds  of  goods.  Bleaching  long  cloth, 
calender  finish,  costs  2%  cents  per 
pound,  beetle  finish  4  cents  per  pound, 
gold  bands  4%  cents  each,  cambric  fin- 
ish 4  mills  per  yard  extra.  He  may 
send  another  lot  of  either  or  both  of 
these  kinds  of  goods  to  be  printed  (des- 
ignating the  patterns)  when  they  are 
put  into  colors  and  shapes,  stamped  to 
suit  him,  boxed  up  and  sent  back.  "We 
mention  these  facts  to  show  the  endless 
variety  of  uses  to  which  these  goods 
are  put  with  which  the  original  maker 
has  nothing  to  do:  and  to  show  the  de- 
mand we  may  expect  for  them  when 
Charleston  becomes  a  market  for  such 
goods. 

The  second  error  alluded  to  is  that  of 
making  the  establishments  too  small. 
X^'o  one  in  South  Carolina  should  think 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


233 


of   putting   up   a   factory     for     making 
cloth  to  contain  less  than  5,000  spindles, 
unless  he  is  willing  to  apprentice  him- 
self to  the  business  and  go  into  the  mill 
himself  to  oversee  and  manage  it.  Such 
a  class  of  men  will  not  easily  be  found 
in   our     State     at     the     present     time. 
Planters   must   not    think     of     erecting 
small  mills  to  spin  their    own     cotton; 
even  in  Kentucky,   where  manufactur- 
ing is  performed  by  hand  labor     there 
are  few  instances  of  its  being  underta- 
ken by  those  who  raise  the  hemip.  This 
may,  however,  be  done  with  great  pro- 
priety, by  many  planters  in   this  State 
that  I   could   name,   who     possess     the 
requisite  capital  for  erecting  mills,  and 
negroes    for    working    them;    but    such 
ought    to    confine    their    operations     to 
yarn  for  shipment.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  they  who  have  talent  enough 
to  rise  to  the  situation  of  overseers,  in 
manufacturing  establishments,  have,  in 
common    with    all    mankind,      pride     of 
character.  A  young  man,  reared  in  one 
of  these  fine  Massachusetts     establish- 
ments,      would       consider       it     almost 
an  insult,  to  be  offered  a  situation  in  a 
1,00,    or   2,000-spindle   factory   in    South 
Carolina.    Such    men   could   nob   be   in- 
duced,  for     ordinary     wages,    to     take 
charge  of  anything  short  of  a  firstt  rate 
establishment;  and  if  employed  to  take 
charge  of  such  an  one,  they  would  come 
out,  expecting  to  make  it  produce  the 
same   quantity   that   the   mills   of   New 
England  do.   Any  gentleman   who     at- 
tempts manufacturing  on  a  small  scale, 
in  this  State,  will  find  that  he  has  in- 
vested his  capital  in  that,  which  is  not 
easily  disposed   of,   and   that  profitable 
results  can  only  be  obtained  by  the  ut- 
most vigilance,  should  he  undertake  to 
conduct  his   mill   in  person.   If  he   em- 
ploy overseers,   he   will  find   it   difficult 
to  obtain  such,   as  are   skilful  at  their 
business;    and  if  he  even     get     skilful 
ones  they  cannot   be  relied  on.  Taking 
it  altogether,  it   will   be  found  to   be  a 
business  suited  to  few  persons. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Steam  power  being  now  in  general 
use,  information  with  regard  to  its 
economy,  in  driving  machinery,  is  at  'the 
command  of  most  persons,  particularly 
in  towns,  in  which  it  is  most  likely  to 
be  used.  It  will,  therefore,  not  be  neces- 
sary to  say  much  on  this  subject.  In 
the  city  of  Charleston  we  have  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  wood  for  such  pur- 
poses, and  our  location  is  more  favor- 
able as  regards  the  use  of  Pesnsylvania 
coal,  than  any  of  the  eastern  cities.  In 


England  it  is  estimated  that  each  pound 
of  cotton  consumes  half  a  pound  of  coal 
in  its  manufacture.  In  a  lecture  on  the 
comparative  cost  of  wa.ter  and  steam 
power,  delivered  before  the  citizens  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  by  Mr.  Charles  T. 
James,,  of  Newburyport,  and  which  wag 
recently  re-published  in  The  Charleston 
Courier,  he  states  that  to  run  two  mills 
in  the  latter  place,  one  of  6,336,  and  the 
other  11,000  spindles,  with  all  the  appa- 
ratus for  weaving,  consumes  314  tons  of 
anthracite  coal  per  day,  for  w'hich  is 
paid,  delivered  at  the  factory,  $4  42-100 
per  ton.  These  are,  however,  mule  spin- 
dles, which  require  20  per  cent,  less 
power  than  such  as  we  would  usa 
Montgomery,  in  his  "Treatise  on  Cot- 
ton Manufacturing,"  gives  65  horse 
power,  as  the  size  of  an  engine,  compe- 
tent to  drive  5,000  heavy  spindles,  and 
all  the  other  machinery  to  make  cloth. 
There  are  various  ways  of  calculating 
horse  power,  he  speaks  of  the  English 
mode,  that  is,  a  power  that  will  raise 
33,000  pounds,  one  foot,  in  a  minute. 

It  is  a  difficulb  matter  to  give  the 
cost  of  machinery,  as  there  is  such  a 
variety  of  kinds  used,  with  so  many 
different  grades  of  finish.  There  is  an 
estimate  before  me,  made  for  another 
person,  of  the  cost  of  machinery,  includ- 
ing gearing,  shafting  and  pulleys,  com- 
plete, for  a  factory  containing  2  Dap 
machines— 27  thir-ty-inch  cards— 2,268 
spindles,  and  24  Qsnaburg  looms,  for 
$24,000:  and  a  high  pressure  engine  of 
30  horse  power,  to  drive  it,  for  $5,000.  I 
will  now  give  a  second  estimate,  fur- 
nished from  a  different  establishment, 
which  is  as  follows:  (not  including  the 
running  gear),  for  20  cards,  4,032  spin- 
dles and  130  looms,  with  all  the  appa- 
ratus, requisite  for  running  it,  boxed  up 
and  delivered  on  ship  board,  $36,356. 
The  machinery,  such  as  we  should  re- 
quire, may  be  had  from  $10  to  $12  per 
spindle.  The  shafting  and  gearing  for  a 
mill  of  5.000  spindles  could  certainly  be 
put  up  for  $2,500  or  $3,000.  It  would  not 
be  safe,  however,  to  estimate  the  cost 
of  all  the  machinery,  such  as  is  used  in 
Lowell,  for  a  mill  of  5,000  spindles,  de- 
livered in  Charleston,  at  less  than  $60,- 
000.* 

I  am  almost  ashamed  to  say  anything 
more  on  the  subject  of  steam  power  in 
Charleston.  Indeed,  the  restrictions  on 
its  use,  in  this  city,  are  not  in  keeping 
with  the  age  in  which  we  live;  when  the 
Press,  which  prints  this  article,  a 
beautiful  and  complicated  machine, 
which  with  the  aid  of  steam  power 
would  perform  its  work  of  itself,  is 
driven  by  the  labor  of  negroes,  two  of 
whom  may   be  seen,  whenever  it   is  in 


234 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


operation,  with  coats,  jackets  and  shirts 
off,   sweating  and  tug-g-ing  like  horses; 
and  all  this  labor  might  be  performed 
■with  verj'  little  more  fire   than  is  used 
in   a  common   parlor   grate,     and     not 
much    more   risk.    Steam    power   is     so 
universally   used    in    all    the     Xorthern 
cities    that   you    can    scarcely     find     a 
grindstone  that  is   not   turned   by  it.    I 
had  occasion,   while  in  Philadelphia,   to 
look  for  a  child's  velocipede,   and  was 
directed   to   a  man   who   made   them   in  ■ 
Dock  street.  I  found  him  busily  engaged 
turning  out  quantities  of  them  for  our 
Southern    market;    his   lathes    and    cir- 
cular saw   were  driven  by  a   small  en- 
gine,  which,   together  with  its  furnace,  ! 
did  not  occupy  the  space  necessary  for 
a  smith's  forge,  and  it  certainly  did  not 
produce  half  the  smoke.  On  another  oc- 
casion I  visited  a  lastmaker.   His  shop 
was  in  the  fourth  story  of  a  house  near 
Market,     between     Fourth     and     Fifth 
streets:   his  lathes  were  also  driven  by 
a  steam  engine,   the  furnace  for  which 
was   an   iron   stove,    with   the   boiler   on 
the   top   of  it,   the  smoke  pipe  entering 
the  chimney.  He  had  more  power  than 
he  needed,  and  rented  the  surplus  to  a 
carpenter,    in   the   fourth   story     of      a 
house,  om  the  opposite  side  of  a  narrow 
street,   the  power  being   communicated 
by  a  belt.   At   another   time,   I  paid     a 
visit  to  a  pencil-maker;  his  lathes  were 
likewise  turned  by  steam  power,  and  I 
do  not  exaggerate  when   I   assert   that 
the  furnace  of  his  engine  could  not  con- 
tain half  a   bushel  of  coal.   I  could  go 
on  naming  numberless  similar  instanoes 
for  I  had  the  curiosity   to  notice  these 
things,    having   long    regarded    our    re- 
strictions    as     impolitic     and     illiberal. 
We  ought   to   be   as   liberal     as     other 
cities    in    this    respect.    Slight      impedi- 
ments often  turn  the  course     of    large 
streams,  and  so  it  may  be  in  this  mat- 
ter. Our  city  council  ought  to  adopt  the 
course  pursued   by     Philadelphia     and 
New  York,   in  relation  to  steam  power. 
The  latter  city  has  no  legislation  on  'the 
.subject,   nor  ought  Charleston   to   have 
any.  Every  man  has  his  redress  in  the 
common  law  for  actual  nuisances. 

rt  cannot  be  disputed  that  the  South- 
em  States  have  been  unjustly  taxed  for 
the  support  of  manufactures  in  this 
country-,  for  it  has  been  against  their 
■will.  They  have  refused  to  embark  in 
this  business,  while  the  Northern  people 
have  done  so.  and  built  up  their  section 
of  country  by  "the  operation;  but  we 
must  remember  that  the  day  of  retri- 
bution must  come.  nay.  is  close  at  hand, 
when  the  South  shall  be  amply  com- 
pensated for  the  many  burthens  im- 
posed heretofore,  by  the  protective  sys- 


tem.  The  laws  of  trade   are   regulated 
by  supply  and  demand,  and  will  acD  in 
spite   of   human     legislation.     All     the 
powers   on   earth   cannot   change   these 
laws,  and  an  effort  to     subvert     them 
would  be  as  futile  as  an  attempt  to  still 
the  ocean.  Any  one   that  has  travelled 
through    the   Northern    States,    with     a 
view    of   gaining   information    on      this 
subject,  cannot  have  come  to  any  other 
conclusion,  than  that  the  United  States 
is  soon  to  stand  first,  among  manufac- 
turiing    nations.    He    who    confines    his 
walks  to  the  fine  streets  of  New  York, 
Philadelphia  and  Boston,  can  have  but 
a   faint   idea  of  what   is  going     on     in 
these  worlds  of  trade.  To  get  a  knowl- 
edge of  these  things,  one  must  go  into 
the   garrets    and    cellars — into    the    by- 
ways  and   alleys,    where   he     will     find 
thousands  of  native-born  Americans,  as 
well  as  foreigners,  from  all  parts  of  the 
globe,  engaged  in  the  various  branches 
of  the  mechanic  arts.   In  articles  com- 
posed of  steel  and  iron,   there  is  noth- 
ing  which  the   world  produces,    that   is 
not    now   being   made   in   this   country; 
froim   the     needle     to     the     1,000-horse 
power  engine  and  ship  of  war.  In  brass, 
coipper  and  lead,  everything  that  enters 
into   the  consumption   of   man — in    silk, 
wool  and  cotton,   everjnhing  necessary 
for  comfort  or  elegance — in  books,  gold, 
silver,   shells,  diamonds,  pearls  and  all 
kinds  of   precious     stones,     everything 
that  can  administer  to   the  refinement, 
luxury,  or  taste  of  man,  or  serve  for  the 
decoration    and    ornament    of    the    fair 
sex — everj^  article  to  equip  the  soldier, 
or   decorate,    in   gorgeous     array,      the 
plumed  officer — all  articles  of  furniture 
and   plate    required   to    fit    out,    in     the 
most  elegant  stj-le.  the  table,  or  draw- 
ing room,  or  any  other  part  of  the  most 
costly  mansion,   may  now   be  procured 
in    the    work-shops    of      this      country. 
There  is   not   an  article  imported   from 
any  part  of  the  world,  however  delicate 
in  texture,  or  curious  in  form  and  color, 
that  is  not  immediately  imitated;    and 
before  it  is  fairly  on  the  shelves  of  the 
importer,    it   is   offered   for  sale   by  our 
own    manufacturers.    Such   is   the   state 
of  things  in  this  country,  that  scarcely 
a  ship  arrives  at   any  of  our  Northern 
por'ts   but   brings   among  its   emigrants 
artisans    from    Rome,     Paris.      London 
and   other  European   cities.   These   men 
do    not    come    alone:    they    bring    with 
them  work-shops,  tools,  apprentices  and 
journeymen:  and  in  every  hole  and  cor- 
ner of  our  large  Northern  cities,   they 
may  be  seen  at  work. 

Well  m.ay  the  New  York  merchan'-s 
be  opposed  to  a  system  of  domestic  in- 
dustry, which  transfers  the  work-shops 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


235 


of  Europe  to  our  own  country,  thus  de- 
priving theim  of  the  profit  derived  from 
the  importation  of  the  articles  which 
this  class  of  men  manufadture.  Go 
where  you  may,  in  the  city,  or  out  of  it, 
and  you  are  seldom,  or  never,  out  of 
the  sound  of  the  steam  eng-ine — travel 
the  country  over,  where  you  may,  and 
you  will  not  find  a  water-fall  that  is  not 
occupied,  or  that  preparations  are  not 
being  made  to  bring  it  into  use.  The 
arts  are  no  longer  confined  to  any  par- 
ticular spot  on  the  globe.  Artisans  of  all 
nations,  are  now  at  liberty  to  roam 
where  they  please;  and  just  as  certain 
as  water  will  find  its  level,  will  t'hey 
congregate  in  those  countries  that  offer 
the  greatest  inducements  to  settle.  We 
have  no  nobility  to  support  in  extrava- 
gance in  this  country,  and  it  is  becom- 
ing known,  even  among  the  poverty- 
stricken  operatives  of  Manchester  that 
there  is  a  land  where  industry  finds  its 
reward,  at  least  in  all  the  comforts  of 
life.  Our  free  institutions,  healthful  cli- 
mate, cheap  living,  absence  from  taxa- 
tion etc.,  cannot  but  offer  strong  in- 
ducements to  the  European  manufac- 
turer, to  emigrate  to  our  happy  land. 
The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  these 
United  States  shall  manufacture  great- 
ly more  than  they  can  consume,  and 
compete  with  the  whole  world,  for  other 
markets.  Then  will  the  tables  be  turned, 
and  the  day  of  retribution  come;  when 
the  manufacturers  of  this  country  s'hall 
be  competing  with  each  other  for  the 
home  market,  and  we  shall  be  supplied 
at  prices  far  below  what  we  should  have 


been,  without  the  American  manufaC' 
turer.  The  Southern  States  could  not 
take  a  more  effectual  step  to  bring 
about  this  state  of  t'hings,  than  by 
commencing  the  manufacture  of  coarse 
cotton  fabrics,  which,  by  right,  belongs 
to  them,  and  which  they  will  get,  with 
the  first  effort  made  to  obtain  it.  They 
would,  at  once,  drive  the  eastern  mills, 
now  engaged  in  this  business,  to  the 
manufacture  of  fine  goods.  The  im- 
mense works  already  in  operation  and 
the  millions  of  capital  engaged  in  man- 
ufactures, would  still  continue  to  be  en- 
gaged in  them.  For  a  trifiing  expense, 
any  of  those  Massachusetts  mills  may 
be  so  altered,  as  to  run  on  the  finest 
cotton  fabrics;  and  the  disposition  to 
change,  from  coarse  to  fine  goods,  ex- 
ists with  all  manufacturers,  so  that  it 
will  require  no  great  effort  to  drive  the 
coarse  spinners  from  their  present  oc- 
cupation, to  compete  with  their  neig'h- 
bors,  in  the  making  of  fine  fabrics. 
Finally,  when  we  shall  'have  put  a  stop 
to  the  draughts,  which  the  Southwest- 
ern States  are  continually  making  upon 
us  and  shall  have  invested  our  capital 
in  the  business  of  manufacturing  our 
raiW  material  into  yarn  and  coarse  fab- 
rics, making  a  mutual  exchange  with 
our  Northern  brethren,  of  the  coarser 
for  the  finer  goods,  then  we  shall  find 
the  tariff  no  longer  a  subject  to  quarrel 
about;  but  we  shall  dwell  in  peace  and 
harmony  and  all  shall  rejoice  in  the 
blessings  which  this  system  of  domes- 
tic industi-y  will  confer  on  South  Caro- 
lina. 


236 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


Table  a. 


big 

s  s 

Allowance  for  loss  in 

NAME   OF  THE   COMPANY. 

CAPITAL. 

outfit,   and   for   fire 
insurance,  they  be- 

IU>I 

2  > 

ing    their   own    in- 

Ha 

0 

H'^ 

^5 

surers. 

o 

< 

Merrimack 

1825 

20 

2,000,000 

123^ 

Less  1         per  cent. 

1828 
1829 

17 

16 

1,000,000 
600,000 

10^ 

9% 

1  1-10      " 

Appleton  

1  1-8 

1831 
1833 
1833 

14 
11^/i 

ny2 

600,000 
600,000 
600,000 

9 
14 

10^ 

1  1-5 

Suffolk   

1  2-5        " 

Tremont 

1  2-5 

1834 

11 

1,500,000 

1  2-5 

Boott    

1838 
1841 

6^ 
4 

1,200,000 
1,200,000 

8 
5K 

9                       ■• 

Massachusetts 

3 

TABLE  B. 

Estimate  made  out  for  myself,  by  Messrs.  Rogers,  Ketchum  &  Grosvenor,  of  Paterson,  N.  J. 

5,000  Spindles  for  making  yarn.    This  is  20  per  cent  higher  than 

usual  on  account  of  the  great  demand. 


One  Willow S  75 

"     30-in  picker 320 

"     Lap  machine 320 

35  30-in.  carding  machines 7,525 

1  grinding  frame 90 

6  .3-strand    drawing  frames,  at  $70  per 

head 1,260 

6  16-strand  speeders  at  S330 1,980 

5000  improved  live  throstle  spindles,  at 

S5  each 25,000 

12  double  reels,  at  S60 720 

1  yarn  press 40 

1  slide  rest,  for  turning  card  cylinders  20 

Emery  Rollers  for  card  grinding 15 

1  banding  machine 25 

10,000  speeder  bobbins,  at  3J4c 350 

15,000  throstle        "          at3^c 525 

Turning  lathe 100 

Drilling  machine  and  other  tools 350 

Amount  carried  forward S  38,715 


Amount  brought  forward §38,715 

Miscellaneous  articles  which  will  be 
necessary  to  complete  the  above,  such 
as  belt  leather,  cloth  and  leather  for 
covering  rollers,  card  cans,  etc 800 

$  39,515 

Boxing  furnished  at  cost.  All  the  ma- 
chinery warranted  to  be  built  of  the 
best  materials,  embracing  the  most 
modern  improvements,  and  fitted  up 
in  superior  style,  the  workmanship  not 
to  be  surpassed  by  any  other  establish- 
ment in  the  country. 

The  machinery  necessary  to  prepare  the 
yarn  and  weave  it  into  cloth,  in  con- 
nection with  the  above,  would  cost 
about iS  15,000 

Total  cost S  54,515 


DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


237 


TABLE  C. 

Estimate  of  the  cost  of  Buildings,  Machinery,  &c.,  for  a  Cotton  Factory,  extracted  from  Jamet 
Montgomery's  Work  on  Cotton  Manufacturing. 

Brick,  or  stone-house,  four  stories  and  attic,.  142  by  42 $    25,000 

"Water  wheel,  gearing  and  belting '. 

Furniture,  gas  and  steam  pipes,  lathes,  tools,  &c         

1  willow 

1  scutching  machine 

40  carding  engines,  at  S310 

6  drawing  heads,  3  heads  each,  at  $200 

6  double  speeders,  18  spindles  each,  at  $660 

7  extensers,  36  spindles  each,  at  $900 

Roving  and  card  cans 

Top  and  cylinder  grinders,  brushes,  &c 

4992  throstle  spindles,  at  $4.5J        

10,000  rove  bobbins,  at  6  cts :  

12,000  spinning  frame  bobbins,  at  1  cent 

6,000  skewers,  at  1 Y^  cents 

6,000  spools  for  warper,  at  3  cts 

8  spooling  machines,  at  $70 

6  warping  "  at  $150 

Odressing  "  at  $400 

128  looms,  at  875 

Miscellaneous  articles 


17,000 

2,000 

100 

600 

8,400 

1,200 

3,960 

6,300 

542 

210 

22  464 

600 

120 

»0 

180 

420 

900 

3,600 

9,600 

300 


$  103,8.36 


This  is  evidently  Massachusetts,  or  Rhode  Island  machinery,  where  they  use  the  geared 
speeder.  This  is  a  high  estimate  for  the  building  and  water-wheel,  for  our  back  country.  The 
Saluda  Factory's  building,  of  granite,  4  stories  and  an  attic,  200  by  40  feet,  cost  only  $20,000.  The 
Vaueluse,  of  hewn  granite,  4  stories  and  an  attic,  80  by  40  feet,  with  wheel-pit  and  water-wheel, 
cost  only  $17,500. 


TABLE  D. 

A  Li  3t  of  Prices  in  Alfred  Jinks'  Machine  Manufactory,  Bridesburg,  near  Philadelphia. 


Small  whipper,  or  willow : 

Spreader,  or  lap  machine 

30-inch  cotton  cards  (iron  doffers)  

30-inch  cotton  cards  (wooden  doffers).    . 

Drawing  frame,  4  heads 

"      3        "     

Railway  drawing 

Iron  railway  for  8  cards 

Improved  eclipse,  10  spools,  double  roll- 
ers   

Improved  eclipse,  10  spools,  single  roll- 
ers    

Throstle  spindle,  V/i  bobbin 


Mule  spindle  

Single  reel         

Double    "     

Spooling  machine,  24  blocks. 


(spools.. 


;  75.00 
250.00 
230.00 
220.00 
240.00 
200.00 
125.00 
75.00 

250.00 

200.00 
4.50 
4.00 
2.25 
.25 
.40 
200.00 


Spooling  Machine,  12  blocks,  24  spools.  .$  70.00 

"Warping  machine  and  hack 50.00 

Sizing  Machine 60.00 

Beaming  machine 70.00 

Light  35  or  40-inch  plain  loom      50.00 

Heavy  40-inch,  for  heavy  goods 55.00 

"  "  in  twilled  looms,  with  2, 

3,  4  and  6  treadles 65.00 

Light  do.  30-inch 60.00 

Check  Looms 90.00 

Throstle  spindle  and  flyer 1.00 

Castings    for  water-wheels  and    heavy 

gearings,  furnished,  per  pound,  at .06 

Shafts  and  couplings,  pulleys,  hangers, 

with  composition  boxes,  per  pound,  at  .10 
Iron  and  brass  castings    of  all    kfnds, 

per  lb.,  at .05 


N.  B.  All  the  castings,  both  of  iron  and  brass — the  shafting,  pulleys,  &c. — may  be  procured 
at  several  places  in  Charleston.  I  have  had  them  made  by  Thomas  Dotterer,  of  superior  manu- 
facture and  as  cheap  as  the  prices  above  stated. 


238 


DO^TE'STIC    INDUSTRY. 


TABLE  E. 

Wages  paid  at  Factories  in  Lowell  and  South  Carolina,  boarding  not  included. 


LOWELL   MILL 


SOUTH    CAROLINA   MILL. 


han 


dsat $  1.25  per 

1.04 


day. 


.84 
85 


.61 
.57 
.51 
.47 
.39 
.35 


1  mule  spinner,  at $  1.50  per  day. 

1  man,  at 75         " 

3  men,  at 50         " 

2  ■'        43 

3  "        39 

13  girls  at 26         •' 

4  •'        25 

6  girls  and  boys  at 20         " 

11  "  16 

6  "  13 

7  "  10 


TABLE  F. 

Carding  machines  are  now  generally  made  from  30  to  36  inches  wide,  and  are  capable  of 
carding  from  3  to  S'/s  pounds  to  the  inch.  Spindles  adapted  to  coarse  yarn,  such  as  is  woven  into 
osnaburgs,  will  turn  out  1  pound  to  the  spindle;  so  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  have 60  spindles. 
In  making  assorted  yarn,  from  Nos.  8  to  30,  smaller  spindles  are  used,  and  a  half-pound  to  the 
spindle  is  as  much  as  can  be  taken  from  them  ;  so  that  120  spindles  will  be  required  for  each 
carding-engine.  In  putting  up  small  factories,  a  picker  and  lap  machine  will  be  indispensable; 
and  the  following  is  as  small  a  quantity  of  machinery  as  can  be  run  to  advantage  : 


For  a  picker  and  lapper,  each  $200. 
"  4  carding  engines,  each  $330.. . . 
"    1  three-head  drawing  frame. .. . 

"    1  twelve-strand  speeder 

"    630  throstle  spindles,  each  $5    . 


$     400 

880 

310 

390 

3,100 

$  3,880 

Add  to  this  the  proportion  of  bobbins,  tools,  and  other  miscellaneous  articles,  (which  see 
Tables  B.,  C.  and  D.)  and  you  have  about  the  cost  of  the  machinery  necessary  in  a  factory  con- 
taining 630  spindles. 

For  a  larger  number  of  spindles,  the  cost  will  be  increased  in  about  the  same  ratio,  except 
that  the  picker  and  lap-machine  would  answer  for  3,000  spindles. 

A  loom  rnnning  on  osnaburgs,  ought  to  turn  out  38  pounds,  or  56  yards  of  cloth  per  day;  and 
those  running  on  shirtings  and  sheetings,  of  Nos.  13  to  14  yarn,  will  make  15  pounds,  or  45  yards 
of  cloth.  By  these  data,  people  will  be  able  to  ascertain  the  number  of  looms  requisite  for  a 
given  number  of  spindles. 


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240  DOMESTIC    INDUSTRY. 


Yards  of  cloth  per  annum 74,141,600 

Pounds  of  cotton  per  annum 22,880,000 

Assuming  half  to  be  Upland  and  half  New  Orleans  and  Alabama,  the  consumption  in 

bales,  3tjl  pounds  each,  is ...     58,240 

A  pound  of  cotton  averages  3  1-5  yards. 

100  pounds  cotton  will  produce  89  pounds  cloth. 

Average  wages  of  females,  clear  of  board,  per  week  fl.75 

Average  wages  of  males,  clear  of  board,  per  day .70 

Medium  produce  of  a  loom,  No.  14  yam,  yards  per  day 44  to  45 

No.  30           "                  "       30 

Average  per  spindle,  yards  per  day           , 1  1-10 

Average  amount  of  wages  paid  per  month  $150,000 

Consumption  of  starch  per  annum  (pounds) 800,000 

Consumption  of  flour  for  starch  in  mills,  print  works,  and  bleachery,  barrels,  per 

annum 4,000 

Consumption  of  charcoal,  bushels  per  annnum 600,000 

The  Locks  and  Canals  Machine  Shops,  included  among  the  33  mills,  can  furnish  machinety 
complete  for  a  mill  of  5,000  spindles  in  four  months  ;  and  lumber  and  materials  are  always  at 
command,  with  which  to  build  or  rebuild  a  mill  in  that  time,  if  required.  When  building  mills, 
the  Locks  and  Canals  Company  employ  directly  and  indirectly  from  1,000  to  1,300  hands. 

To  the  above-named  principal  establishments  may  be  added,  the  Lowell  "Water-Proofing, 
connected  with  the  Middlesex  Manufacturing  Company;  the  extensive  powder  mills  of  O.M. 
Whipple,  Esq, ;  the  Lowell  Bleachery,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000 ;  Flannel  Mill;  Blanket  Mill; 
Batting  Mill ;  Paper  Mill ;  Card  and  Whip  Factory  :  Planing  Machine  ;  Reed  Machine  ;  Foundry; 
Grist  and  Saw  Mills — together  employing  about  500  hands,  and  a  capital  of  $500,000. 

With  regard  to  the  health  of  persons  employed  in  the  mills,  six  of  the  females  out  of  ten  enjoy 
better  health  than  before  entering  the  mills  ;  and  of  the  males,  one-half  derive  the  same  advan- 
tage. In  their  moral  condition  and  character,  they  are  not  inferior  to  any  portion  of  the  com- 
munity. 

A  very  considerable  portion  of  the  wages  of  the  operatives  are  deposited  in  the  Lowell  Insti- 
tution for  Savings. 


1ln^ex♦ 


A. 

ALAMANCE    Mills    185-201 

Analysis  of  Manfg.   Cost 59 

Annual  Consumption  of  Cotton  per 

1,000   Spindles    73 

Annual  Statements   80,  100,  103 

Automatic    Sprinklers    159 

BALANCE    Sheet    86 

Battle,  Joel    201 

Bean.   Michael   201 

Belt   Guard    167 

Biographical   Sketches   180 

Bivings,  James  201 

Blanks. 

Cloth  Mill  78-89 

Cloth  and  Tarn  Mill    78-91 

Cloth  Card   131 

Pay  Roll  Book   80-98 

Yarn  Mill 77,  88,  .93 

Tarn  Card   132 

Bookkeeping 74 

Bounity  to  Cotton  Growers  22 

Broad   Tires    142-153 

By-Laws    26-45 

O 

CAPITAL   Required    33 

Carrigan,  W.  A 201 

Chinese   Imports    20 

Churches   for   Mill  Villages    37-112 

Clemson   College    135 

CloJth    Card    Blank 131 

Cloth  Market   128-131 

Cloth  Mill  Blank   78 

Cloth  and  Tarn  Mill  Blank 78 

Closing  Books   83 

Colored    Labor    109 

Commission  Houses   128 

Condensing  Engines    122 

Consigning  Goods   128 

Cooling  Tower  124 


Cost  Electric  Transmission 125 

Labor    Tables-55 

Mass.  Mill  Machinery,  1845.  ..236-238 

Mass.   Manufacturing,   1845 238 

Mills  per  Spindle  Tables-52 

Mill   Operatives    Tables-54-65 

Road  Building  147 

Selling  Goods   128-132 

Steam  Power   122 

Water  Power  122 

Cotton  as  a  Factor  in  Progress 1 

Gin   2 

Gin  House   2 

Monopoly   13 

Oil  8 

Picking   Cost    7 

Picking  Machine  7 

Oil   8 

Convict  Labor  on  Roads 147 

Courses  of  Study  137 

Curtailment  of  Crop   16 

r> 

DEPRECIATION   80 

Design  of  Mills 52 

Directors   of   Mills    29 

Domestic  Industry   203 

Donaldson,   H.   A 201 

Draft  of  Wagons   151 

EGTPTIAN  Cotton    14 

Electric   Clock   162 

Electric  Light    168 

Essays  on  Domiestic  Industry 203 

Export  Trade   24 

FACTORT   Houses    116 

Factory  Insurance   158 

Farm    and    Factory 176 

Financial  Statement  76,  87,  101 


INDEX. 


F— Con. 

Fire  Brigades  161 

Door    166 

'Insurance   158 

Pails  Ill 

Protection    159 

Pump    160 

Wall    162 

First   Cost   of   Mills Tables-52 

First   Steamship    108 

Floor  Space   170 

Fluctua-tion  in  Price  of  Cloth 60 

Freig-ht   Rates    36 

Fries,    Francis     183-202 

Fuel    124 

O 

GINNING  Cotton    15 

Government  Tests  of  Roads 154 

Graniteville  Mills  181-202 

Great    Falls   Mills    202 

Gregg,    William    181-202 

Grouping  of  Accounts 75 

Growth  of  Cotton  Production 7 

H 

HAMME'TT,    H.    P 189 

Harmony  in  Mill  Management 30 

Heating  Mills   169 

History  Early   Mass.   Mills 226-236 

Early  Southern   Mills 201 

Hoke,   John    201 

Holt,    E.    M 185-201 

Hours  of  Work   38 

Humidifying    170 

Humphreys,  HennTr  201 

Hydrants  160 

I 

INCREASING     Profits     of     Cotton 

Production   17 

Indian    Cotton    13 

Influence  on  Cost  of  Goods  of  Price 

of  Cotton  61 

Labor    61 

Fuel   61 

Installment  Plan   41 

Insurance    158 

Inventory    76-86 

In's'estments,    Costs,    Profits 50 


KLND  of  Goods  to  Make 56 

King,  Mitchell   202 

LABOR    108: 

Labor  Laws  Ill 

Leak,    J.    W 186-202 

Leaksville   202 

Lighting  Mills   168 

Location   and   Surroundings 34 

Lowell,   History  of  Early  Mills 236- 

Lowell  Textile  School 135 

MACHINERY  for  Roads 149 

Management  of  Mills   172' 

Manufacturing  Account    76 

Manufacturing  in   South  in  1810 4 

Mai-kets  for  Food  Stuffs   17 

McDuffle,   General 202 

Mecklenburg  County  Roads 143 

Mill  Bookkeeping  74 

Mill   Construction    158 

Mill    Insurance    158 

Mill    Floor    164 

Mill  Reports   77-88 

MoMhly  Reports    76 

Morehead,  J.   W 187-202 

Mount   Hecla   Mills    201 

Mountain  Island  201 

Mutual  Insurance   158 

TV 

NEGRO   Labor    109 

New  England  Mills   193 

New  England  Mutual  Insurance 158 

Night   Work    38 

North   Carolina   Mills    196-200 

North   Carolina   Textile   School    ....  135 

O 

OIL,  Cotton   8 

Oil   Mill   Products    8 

Oily  Waste  162 

Operatives  Houses  116- 

Operation  of  Various  Size  Mills....     64 

Order  of  Business 29 

Organization  of  Com.pany 25- 

Origin  of  Installment  Plan 41 


INDEX. 


PAY   of   OperaJtives 5>5 

Pay   Roll   Blank 80-98 

Per  Cent,  of  CoWon  in  Cloth 5^-200 

Permanent   Investment   Account 76 

Philadelphia  Textile   School    135 

Pintle    164 

Plumbing 169 

Power    122 

Product    per   Spindle 73-200 

Profits   in    Cotton   Production    15 

Profits     in     Cotton       Manufacture. 

Tables-52-172 
Profiperity  of   Manufacituring'  Com- 
munities        18 

RAISLXG   Capital    39 

Repairs  on  Roads 152 

Richmond    Mfg-.    Co 202 

Road    Building    142 

Road    Machinery    149 

Road  Tax    149 

SALARIES    30 

Sale   of   Products 128 

Sanitary  Conditions   117 

Schenck,  Michael   201 

Schools  for  Mill   Villages 37 

Schumann,   Dr 202 

Shipping   Interests    24 

Size  of  Mills   52 

Skilled  Operatives  57 

Slavery  in   New  England 4 

South   Carolina    Mills    197-200 

South   Carolina   Railroad 108 

South   Carolina   Textile   School 135 

Southern  Labor  108 

Specifications  Operatives  Houses...  118 

Spindles  in  Unisted   States 193-199 

Spindles   in    Southern    States 194 

Spindles  in  World 199 

Sprinklers    159 

Statement  Blanks    80-85 

Statistics    191-236 

Steam  Heat 169 

Steam  Power    122-170 

Stockholders   Meeting   29 

Subscription  List   25 

Superintendenits  Reports  97 

Surplus    85 


TABLES. 

I.  Single    Yarn    Mills... 

II.  Single  Yarn  Mills    . 

III.  Single   Yarn    Mills. 

IV.  Ply   Yarn   Mills    ... 

V.  Ply   Yarn    Mills 

VL     Ply  Yarn  Mills 

Vn.     Cloth   Mills    


....  64 
....  65 
....  66 
....  67 
....  68 
....  69 
....     70 

VIII.  Cloth   Mills    71 

IX.  Cloth    Mills    72 

X.  Cotton  Consumed  per  1,000 
Spindles   73 

XL  Statistics  Mills  in  Uniited 
States 193 

XII.  Statistics  Mills  in  New 
England  19? 

XIII.  Statistics  Mills  in  Middle 
States    194 

XIV.  Statistics  Mills  Southern 
States  194 

XV.  .  Sitatistics  Mills  Vir- 
ginia    19S 

XVI.  Statistics  Mills  in  Ken- 
tucky    195 

XVII.  Statistics  Mills  in  Ten- 
nessee      196 

XVIII.  Statistics  Mills  in 
North  Carolima   I9ft 

XIX.  Statistics  Mills  in  South 
Carolina    197 

XX.  Statistics  Mills  in  Geor- 
gia      197 

XXI.  Statistics  Mills  in  Ala- 
bama    19S 

XXII.  Statistics  Mills  in  Miss- 
issippi      198 

XXIII.  Distribution  of  Cotton 
Spindles  in   the  World 199 

XXIV.  No.  Spindles  in  United 
States,  1800  to  1900.  Also  Val- 
ue  of   Goods    Produced 199 

XXV.  Manufactures  in  United 
States,    1850    to    1890 199 

XXVI.  Production  of  Yarn  per 
Spindle   2C(> 

XXVII.  Counties  Spinning  in 
North  Carolina  and  South 
Carolina  More  Cotton  Than 
They  Produce    200 

A.    Early  Mass.   Mills    236 


IND-EX. 


T— Con. 

B.  Price  List  Machinery,  1843..  236 

C.  Cost   of  Mill,   1S43 237 

D.  Price  List  Machinery,  1843..  237 

E.  Wages  List  in  Lowell,  1843.,  238 

F.  Price  List  Machinery,  1843..  238 

G.  Statistics  Lowell  Mills,   1825 

to  1841  239 

Tate,  T.   R 201 

Tec'hmical  Education   133 

Testing  Roads   154 

Textile  Education   133 

Time  Detector  162 

Transmission  of  Power 125 

Trcw  Polytechnic  .School 133 


"WARLICK,  Absalom   201 

Waste 54,  78,  162 

Watchman's  Clock  162 

Water  Closets   169 

Water  Power 122 

Water  Required  to  Make  Steam ....  123 

Windows  166 

Wood    125 

TARN  Card  Blank  132 

Yarn   Market   128 

Tarn   Mill  Blank 77 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR. 


i  III  mim  i  iui 


PRICE,    $5.00 

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BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

COTTON  AND  COTTON  OIL. 

Now  in  Course  of  Preparation. 


PRICE,   $5.00 


This  book  is  a  complete  description  of  American  methods  of  pro- 
ducing cotton,  ginning  it  and  putting  it  on  the  market. 

Taking  the  ground  as  the  farmer  finds  it,  there  are  detailed  speci- 
fications for  preparing  and  fertilizing  it,  and  planting  the  seed. 

Every  detail  of  ciilture  is  minutely  described. 

All  implements  in  use  are  fully  illustrated  and  described. 

Cotton  ginning  is  elaborately  treated  and  profusely  illustrated, 
showing  the  history  of  the  subject  from  the  earliest  inventions  to  the 
very  latest  developments. 

The  different  methods  of  baling  cotton,  including  all  of  the  round 
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Cotton  seed  oil  manufacture  and  allied  industries  form  an  impor- 
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for  stock. 


w.  Hfi^ui^i^i^  ^^> 


